Tesla Optimus’ new upgrades make the AI-powered humanoid robot more autonomous than ever.
The Tesla Bot team just released new footage of the Gen 2 Optimus performing a wide range of tasks at the EV automaker’s Gigafactory. Optimus engineer Milan Kovac detailed the Tesla Bot’s additional pieces of autonomy on the X social media platform.
While we were busy making its walk more robust for 10/10, we’ve also been working on additional pieces of autonomy for Optimus!
— Milan Kovac (@_milankovac_) October 17, 2024
The absence of (useful) GPS in most indoor environments makes visual navigation central for humanoids. Using its 2D cameras, Optimus can now navigate… https://t.co/R448099uEQ
Using its 2D cameras, the robot can now move around new places and avoid obstacles on its own, even without GPS, by storing visual features in the cloud. Optimus can go to a charging station by itself, dock precisely, and charge for as long as needed. Multiple Tesla Bots can work together to build a map of their surroundings.
The engineer said the Tesla Bot’s walk is now more stable. It can carry payloads of up to 11.3 kg, or 25 lbs, while navigating autonomously.
Earlier this week, UBTECH boasted similar capabilities as the Chinese robotics leader unveiled its Walker S1 industrial humanoid robot. The company released footage of the new robot carrying a parcel weighing 16 point 3 kilograms, or almost 36 pounds, while walking on a treadmill.
The new Tesla Optimus footage shows the robot walking up stairs but it’s unclear whether this is autonomous. Kovac said the Tesla Bot team is improving the robot’s abilities walking on uneven surfaces and stairs.
During a livestream dissecting the new demo, Herbert Ong and robotics expert Scott Walter were particularly impressed with footage of the robot handing drinks and snacks to employees.
The new demo comes a week after a fleet of Tesla Bots stole the show as Elon Musk unveiled the much-anticipated Robotaxi at the We Robot event held at Warner Brothers Studios.
Critics were quick to point out much of the robots actions were likely teleoperated rather than fully autonomous. They said the event felt more like a staged demo than a display of advanced AI capabilities.
Tesla supporters said the Optimus is still under development, and the event successfully showcased its evolving degrees of freedom and agility.
In another X post by Kovac, the engineer said about 20 Tesla Bots were active at all times. They walked through crowds, danced, posed for selfies, and handed out snacks.
Very proud of and grateful for the team's hard work leading to our 10/10 event last week. So excited to give many people a live feel of our progress with Optimus and its expected future capabilities!
— Milan Kovac (@_milankovac_) October 16, 2024
We had about 20 active bots at all times – walking through a packed crowd,… pic.twitter.com/5d8HDtpzvi
According to Kovac, the bots were human-assisted but walked, balanced, and danced on their own for about 4 hours. He said ensuring safe live operations for multiple robots during the live event facilitated big improvements in full body controls, locomotion, and stability.
Though Tesla fans hoped for a demonstration of the Optimus Generation 3, the robots showcased were the second iteration, with exposed wiring making clear they’re still prototypes.
However, a robotic hand on display appeared to be from the upcoming revision. Musk has said the Gen 3 Optimus hand will feature 22 degrees of freedom, doubling the dexterity of the current model’s hands. He said the improved hand design means the robot can perform almost any tasks humans can. Human hands have about 27 degrees of freedom, including 4 degrees in each finger and 5 degrees in the thumb.