When Elon Musk first shared his vision for the Tesla Bot, critics where not impressed. The Optimus, as it is also known, was met with both skepticism and amusement.
Many said the Optimus was a diversion from Tesla’s core mission, which had initially been to transition the world towards sustainable energy.
Optimus: Musk’s ambitious vision
The initial reveal of the Optimus back in 2022 at the Tesla AI Day also didn’t win over any of the skeptics.
And one couldn’t blame them – the early prototype of the Tesla Bot was awkward at best and underwhelming at worst.
A bigger, better Tesla bot
Despite the mounting criticism, Musk still had lofty aspirations for his Tesla bot, saying at the time it would be a solution to the USA’s labour shortage challenges.
But all that is now in the past.
Musk presented footage of a newer, more polished prototype at the recent Tesla’s 2023 shareholders meeting.
In one of the clips, five Tesla Optimus prototypes can be seen performing simple tasks and moving around various Tesla facilities. Take a look below.
Watch: Tesla Bot update
Meanwhile, Tesla engineers sayd the humanoid robot project could benefit from the company’s existing electric vehicle hardware and autonomous driving software.
However, the extent of Tesla’s commitment to the project remained ambiguous, despite Musk’s assertion that it was a top priority.
While the robots were not swift, they demonstrated stable locomotion. Tesla also revealed the robots’ ability to detect and memorize their surroundings.
The ability of a robot to perceive and comprehend its environment is an essential feature for real-world application.
Despite skepticism, Elon Musk reaffirmed his belief in the project, stating that “Optimus stuff is extremely underrated,” and predicted a demand of up to 10 to 20 billion units.
