Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, unveiled a model of the humanoid “Optimus” robot, which utilizes some of the same AI tools and sensors as the Autopilot driving assistance system in Tesla vehicles. Musk acknowledged that they had “a man in a suit” last year but promised something far more remarkable today at the beginning of Tesla’s 2022 AI Day presentation.
Although this prototype is capable of more than what was demonstrated live, Musk claims that this performance was the first time it was used without a tether. In a Q&A session, Musk highlighted that Tesla is particularly skilled at developing the AI and the actuators required for robots based on the expertise of making drive units for electric automobiles. He predicted that it might eventually cost “probably less than $20,000.”
Elon Musk claimed that would enable it to begin producing proficient robots and test them in its facilities.
He asserted that Tesla’s Optimus is built for mass production in the “millions” of units and to be extremely competent, setting it apart from other “quite amazing humanoid robot displays.” Behind him, a group of employees were moving a non-walking prototype as he finished his sentence.
The stage’s rear doors first opened to reveal a deconstructed Optimus, dubbed “Bumble C” by Tesla, who stepped forward and performed the “raise the roof” dance routine. Musk said that they didn’t want it to be risky, make too many moves on stage, or “fall flat on its face.” (If you can, try to prevent another Cybertruck sledgehammer incident.)
The business then played back a few videos of the robot performing various duties, like picking up boxes.
Then Tesla’s team displayed a second prototype of Optimus that was “quite near to production,” with its body entirely constructed but not yet fully functioning. It was placed up on a platform and waved to the crowd to demonstrate the wrist and hand’s range of motion. Musk stated that this device still had actuators, a battery pack, and everything else but “wasn’t quite ready to walk” when it was ultimately wheeled off by a team of employees.
They disclosed that the first robot displayed had just been created in the previous six months. They talk about challenges they must overcome to go from a prototype to a functional design and say they want to “get this done within the next few months… or years.”
It features Wi-Fi and LTE connection, a 2.3kWh battery pack, a Tesla SoC, and all of these features. The robot’s joints, such as its hands, wrists, and knees, were the subject of demonstrations that illustrated how data for each joint was analyzed before looking for commonalities among designs to identify a technique that required just six distinct actuators. The “Biologically Inspired Design” of the human-like hands, according to engineers, will make them more suited for picking up things of diverse shapes and sizes, holding a 20-point bag, and having a “precise grasp” on minuscule components.
The Autopilot software from Tesla was transferred from its automobiles to the bot and redesigned to function in the new form and setting. Tesla motion recorded humans performing actual chores, like as lifting a box, and then used Optimus to replicate the movements using inverse kinematics. Then “online motion adaptation” is used to reduce the rigidity of these activities and enable them to be adjusted to account for an unstructured environment.
It will fundamentally change civilisation as we know it, according to Musk. He goes on to argue that Optimus may potentially increase economic production by “two orders of magnitude.”
At last year’s AI Day, Musk originally revealed the “Tesla Bot,” promising that it will be “kind” and maybe transform the company’s production and assembly line operations.
Musk has already urged his followers not to anticipate the prototype to resemble the glossy black-and-white depiction initially displayed at the event last year. However, there has been no lack of enthusiasm, with Musk describing the robot as “the most important product development we’re doing this year” and asserting that it may eventually become “more substantial than the automobile company.”
Future uses may involve cooking, gardening, or even “catgirl” sex partners, according to Elon Musk, who also stated that production might begin as early as next year.
Experts in robotics cautioned against placing too much stock in Musk’s promises in the days before AI Day. They have pointed out that other businesses are significantly more advanced in creating robots that can run, leap, and walk, but none of them are claiming to be near to displacing workers.
Who knows whether a production-ready Tesla Bot will ever be released? Tesla’s past is replete with fantastical notions that never materialized, such as a solar-powered Supercharger network, battery swapping, or robotic snake-style chargers. But Musk’s unwavering determination has driven the business to where it is now. Furthermore, Musk’s boasts that Tesla is “the world’s biggest robotics firm” will undoubtedly be supported by the disclosure of a prototype version of the robot.
