A distinct image of the second-generation humanoid robot, Optimus, shown in Tesla’s latest promotional movie is currently taking the internet by the storm. Tesla CEO Elon Musk posted a video showing the Optimus Gen 2 walking without assistance and without its exterior shells in a post on X.
Musk posted a picture of himself “going for a walk with Optimus” on X, the social networking site that was once known as Twitter.
The CEO of the electric car manufacturer, Elon Musk, has stated that the company’s humanoid robot, which is shown in this piece, will be crucial to the running of the business in the future. When Musk first unveiled Optimus in August 2021, he mentioned that the humanoid robot’s purpose was to replace people in hazardous, monotonous, and repetitive occupations.
The latest video hints at more than just walking prowess. Optimus Gen 2 seems to be equipped with dexterous hands, capable of manipulating objects and potentially performing more complex tasks.
The Tesla Bot programme has advanced significantly since then. Tesla’s original Optimus 2021 presentation consisted of just a static model and a real person wearing a robot outfit. By AI Day 2.0 in 2022, Tesla has constructed a functional prototype of a Tesla Bot known as “Bumblebee” from off-the-shelf materials. Bumblebee had primitive walking motions, yet it was able to move on its own.
During AI Day 2.0, Tesla also unveiled Optimus Gen 1, a humanoid robot that was still unable to move independently of its surroundings. Because it was constructed with actuators and sensors that Tesla specifically invented, the Optimus Gen 1 was quite unique. In May 2023, Tesla released a video of Optimus Gen 1 walking on its own. A month later, in December 2023, Tesla unveiled Optimus Gen 2, which has motions that are smooth and human-like.
Musk recently posted a video of Optimus Gen 2 walking, which demonstrated these enhanced motions and gave the robot a rather human stride. Optimus Lead engineer Milan Kovac mentioned in a prior X remark that 2023 had been a milestone year for the Tesla Bot programme. He emphasised advancements in teleoperation systems for data collection, locomotion, and the ultimate integration of robots into Tesla’s manufacturing lines.
As Kovac said, Optimus may be integrated into Tesla’s manufacturing lines, which presents the exciting prospect of human-robot cooperation on factory floors.
“We’ve made progress in our locomotion stack; we now often walk off-gantry without falling and with a quicker, more anthropomorphic stride. We’ve developed a high-fidelity, low-latency teleoperation system that we utilise to gather AI training data of the bot mimicking people in certain jobs. Our production lines will be included to that list when the time is appropriate, the engineer stated.
Unquestionably, the introduction of Optimus Gen 2 represents a major advancement in humanoid robots with potential applications across a wide range of fields. There will be exciting changes in the future of human-robot interaction and its ramifications for society, and Optimus is a prominent emblem of this changing environment. The world is excitedly awaiting the next developments in this game-changing technology as Tesla continues to improve its Optimus programme.
