Tesla unveils an improved humanoid robot model

Tesla has developed a new prototype humanoid robot, the Optimus, lighter and faster than its predecessors.

There’s a new bot in town ?

Check this out (until the very end)!https://t.co/duFdhwNe3K pic.twitter.com/8pbhwW0WNc

— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) December 13, 2023

According to the video presentation, the robot weighs about 10 kg less than Optimus Gen 1.

The construction of its legs mirrors human anatomy, improving the machine’s balance and control. To demonstrate its capabilities, the robot performed a few squats.

The bot has tactile sensors on its fingers, enabling it to manipulate delicate objects such as a chicken egg. Optimus also houses a battery with a capacity of 2.3 kWh, located in the chest cavity, which is enough for a full workday.

The robot’s central computer processes visual data from multiple sensors and is equipped with a neural-network-based navigation system.

Its memory contains libraries of ‘standards of natural movement’, recorded from real people. The bot can recognise its environment and determine the position of its limbs in space.

For now, Optimus can only walk forward, self-calibrate its body parts and move them in 11 axes, and adopt different poses — for example, standing on one leg.

Earlier Tesla bots were far from perfect; the first appeared in 2022 and could barely move.

But by May 2023 a new generation of robots had emerged that moved freely and interacted with objects.

Multiple fully Tesla-made Bots now walking around & learning about the real world ?

Join the Tesla AI team → https://t.co/dBhQqg1qya pic.twitter.com/3TZ2znxkfd

— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) May 16, 2023

At Tesla AI Day 2022, the company’s CEO Elon Musk described the project as "an extremely capable device" with universal functionality. Humanoid machines are planned for sale between 2025 and 2027, and they will cost "much less than a car."

In October Nvidia presented the AI tool Eureka, which significantly improves robot dexterity. The neural network trains mechanisms for complex skills such as turning a knob.