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Optimus (robot)
Optimus, also known as Tesla Bot, is a conceptual general-purpose robotic humanoid under development by Tesla, Inc. [1] It was announced at the company’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) Day event on August 19, 2021. [1] CEO Elon Musk claimed during the event that Tesla would likely build a prototype by 2022. [2] Musk is on record having said that he thinks Optimus «has the potential to be more significant than the vehicle business over time.» [3] [4]
History [ edit ]
On April 7, 2022, a display for the product was featured at the Tesla Giga Texas manufacturing facility during the Cyber Rodeo event. Musk said that he hopes to have the robot production-ready by 2023 and claimed Optimus will eventually be able to do «anything that humans don’t want to do.» [3]
In June 2022, Musk announced the display model at the second AI Day event and the Giga Texas opening will not look anything like the first prototype that Tesla hopes to unveil later in 2022. [5]
In September 2022, semi-functional prototypes of Optimus were displayed at Tesla’s second AI Day. [6] [7] One prototype was able to walk about the stage and another, sleeker version could move its arms. [8] [9]
Specifications [ edit ]
Tesla Bot is planned to measure 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) tall and weigh 125 lb (57 kg). According to the presentation made during the first AI Day event, a Tesla Bot will be «controlled by the same AI system Tesla is developing for the advanced driver-assistance system used in its cars» and have a carrying capacity of 45 lb (20 kg). [10] Proposed tasks for the product are ones that are «dangerous, repetitive and boring», such as providing manufacturing assistance. [11]
Reception [ edit ]
Initial reactions [ edit ]
Soon after the first AI Day event, many publications reacted with skepticism about the proposed product. Bloomberg News claimed that such a product constituted «mission creep» and stood outside «the company’s clean-energy initiatives.» [12] The Washington Post argued that «Tesla has a history of exaggerating timelines and overpromising at its product unveilings and investor presentations.» [1] The Verge similarly noted that «Tesla’s history is littered with fanciful ideas that never panned out. it’s anyone’s guess as to whether a working Tesla Bot will ever see the light of day» [13] and, in an editorial, described the Tesla Bot reveal as a «bizarre and brilliant bit of tomfoolery». [14]
The progress made with the prototypes shown at the second AI Day was praised by some commentators. [15] Other commentators stipulated that all that was shown in these latest presentations had already been accomplished by other robotics programs, [16] and that there appears to be little to suggest Tesla could «outpace other companies working on similar things.» [17]
Expert opinions [ edit ]
Carl Berry, a lecturer of robotics engineering, described the AI Day presentation as «the usual overblown hype.» [14] Following the Tesla Bot display at the Cyber Rodeo event, researcher Gary Marcus stated he would «bet that no robot will be able to do all human tasks by the end of 2023.» [3]
Deutsche Welle cited experts (AI researcher Filip Piekniewski, robotics expert Cynthia Yeung and executive director of Mass Robotics Tom Ryden) who called it a «complete and utter scam», questioned how advanced it really was, and criticized the choice of a humanoid form. [18]
References [ edit ]
- ^ abc«Tesla says it is building a ‘friendly’ robot that will perform menial tasks, won’t fight back». Washington Post. ISSN0190-8286 . Retrieved August 20, 2021 .
- ^
- Leswing, Kif (August 20, 2021). «Elon Musk says Tesla will build a humanoid robot prototype by next year». CNBC . Retrieved August 20, 2021 .
- ^ abc
- Shead, Sam (April 8, 2022). «Elon Musk says production of Tesla’s robot could start next year, but A.I. experts have their doubts». CNBC . Retrieved April 8, 2022 .
- ^
- Bikram, Sanjan (December 4, 2022). «Optimus; Humanoid Elon Musk Tesla Robot». Sanjan . Retrieved December 4, 2022 .
- ^
- Will the Optimus prototype look the same (or at least very similar) to the display model at the Giga Texas opening? , retrieved June 18, 2022
- ^
- Jackson, Will. «Tesla Optimus Robot — A mechanics deep dive — The Good The Bad and The Ugly». www.linkedin.com . Retrieved October 6, 2022 .
- ^
- «Tesla boss Elon Musk presents humanoid robot Optimus». BBC News. October 1, 2022 . Retrieved October 1, 2022 .
- ^
- Edwards, Benj (October 1, 2022). «Tesla shows off unfinished humanoid robot prototypes at AI Day 2022». Ars Technica . Retrieved October 1, 2022 .
- ^
- Kolodny, Lora. «Elon Musk shows off humanoid robot prototype at Tesla AI Day». CNBC . Retrieved October 1, 2022 .
- ^
- «Tesla Bot: AI-controlled humanoid robot revealed». Motor Authority . Retrieved August 20, 2021 .
- ^
- «Tesla Promised a Robot. Was It Just a Recruiting Pitch?». Wired. ISSN1059-1028 . Retrieved August 27, 2021 .
- ^
- Hull, Dana (August 19, 2021). «Elon Musk Unveils Humanoid Robot to Take Over ‘Boring’ Work». www.bloomberg.com . Retrieved August 20, 2021 . > : CS1 maint: url-status (link)
- ^
- O’Kane, Sean (August 19, 2021). «Elon Musk says Tesla is working on humanoid robots». The Verge . Retrieved August 20, 2021 .
- ^ ab
- Vincent, James (August 20, 2021). «Don’t overthink it: Elon Musk’s Tesla Bot is a joke». The Verge . Retrieved August 20, 2021 .
- ^
- Jin, Hyunjoo (October 1, 2022). «Tesla’s robot waves but can’t walk, yet. Musk plans to make millions of them». Reuters . Retrieved October 1, 2022 .
- ^
- «Tesla Optimus robot walks, waves, but didn’t impress in demonstration». Boston Herald. October 1, 2022 . Retrieved October 1, 2022 .
- ^
- «For Better or Worse, Tesla Bot Is Exactly What We Expected». IEEE Spectrum. October 1, 2022 . Retrieved October 1, 2022 .
- ^
- «Tesla AI robot: Musk’s new humanoid disappoints experts». dw.com. DW . Retrieved October 1, 2022 .
Tesla Humanoid Robot Will Go On Sale In 2023
In Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s zeitgeist to conquer future tech today, he says that the Tesla humanoid robot will go into production and be available next year. Of course, Musk has a habit of underestimating development for some of the projects he oversees. But love him or hate him, Musk is pushing the tech envelope in a big way.
What is the name of the Tesla robot?
Back in August, Musk revealed that his bi-pedal “Tesla Bot” robot would use the same technology as is being developed for Tesla’s autonomous vehicle programs. He further said the purpose of the Tesla Bot is to have it do “unsafe, repetitive, and boring tasks.” Now, at the recent Cyber Rodeo held at the Tesla factory in Texas, the Tesla Bot, with the new name “Optimus Sub-Prime,” is on the fast track to go into production next year.
“Anything humans don’t want to do, Optimus will do,” Musk said. “It may be hard to imagine it, but as you see Optimus develop, we will make sure it is safe, no terminator stuff or that kind of thing. How it’s really going to transform the world to a degree even greater than the cars. I think we have a shot at being in production for version one, hopefully, next year.”
No prototype has been seen publicly. And we don’t know at what stage the robot is at in its development. Concepts, including the one shown at the Texas event, have been displayed. But we don’t know how close it is to what is actually poised to go into production.
What will the Tesla robot look like?
What we know is that it is being built around the proportions of human beings, because, after all, the world is made for humans. At almost six feet tall, it weighs 125 lbs. Slightly lighter than an actual six-foot person.
The big thing that Musk has said in the past is that the robot can accept downloads of its owner’s brain characteristics. This covers even the owner’s personality. “We could download the things that we believe make ourselves so unique,” Musk said. “Now, of course, if you’re not in that body anymore, that is definitely going to be a difference. But as far as preserving our memories, our personality, I think we could do that.”
How much will the Tesla robot cost?
With prototypes still a secret, we can only go by what Musk is willing to reveal. But it is clear that his robot’s abilities will go far beyond the ability to do mundane tasks. Obviously, between his efforts in tunnel boring, rockets to Mars, magnetic levitation trains, electric vehicles, and more, he’s pushing multiple envelopes.
Estimates of the cost for one of Musk’s robots have been pegged at $10,000. Just in the past few days, Tesla has ramped up hiring for its Optimus robot project. So Musk is putting might behind getting it out by next year. Obviously, we’re all anxious to see how this evolves.
Tesla unveils its humanoid robot for ‘less than $20,000’
Tesla has unveiled its Optimus humanoid robot at its AI Day 2022 today and Elon Musk believes Tesla can bring it to market for “less than $20,000”.
As expected, the event started with Tesla unveiling a working prototype of its humanoid robot – a project first announced at Tesla’s AI day in 2021.
There were two prototypes unveiled at the event.
Tesla started by unveiling Bumble C, which is the first version of the bot and it was developed with “semi off-the-shelves” actuators. It served as a testing bed for Tesla’s first robot developed with in-house parts.
Here’s a picture of Bumble C as it walked on stage at the event:
It didn’t do anything impressive on stage, but it was able to walk around and wave at the crowd.
Tesla did show some videos of the robot performing some tasks in a controlled environment to demonstrate some level of usefulness.
The automaker even showed the robot performing a task at an actual workstation at the Fremont factory.
But after Bumble C, Tesla brought on stage the first generation Optimus robot.
The reason why Tesla didn’t lead with it and showed an earlier and rougher prototype is that it couldn’t actually get the new one to walk yet.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that the new robot should be able to walk within the next few weeks, but he wanted to show it today since it looks more like the version of the robot that is going to go into production:
It also couldn’t do much on stage other than wave at the crowd and had to be carried by Tesla employees.
Musk noted that this version was equipped with Tesla-designed actuators, battery pack, and power electronics.
Tesla revealed that it had the first prototype in February of 2022, which led to this new version that is now supposedly about to walk in the next few days.
Tesla did share some specs of Optimus, including a 2.3 kWh battery pack, which the automaker claims should be good for about a day’s worth of work.
As Tesla announced last year, it is also equipped with the same “self-driving computer” inside Tesla vehicles:
After the presentation about the specs and main features of the bot, Tesla moved on the a more in-dept presentation about the robotic and AI approach to developing it.
Again, Tesla’s AI Day is about recruiting and Tesla is basically showing off what it is working on to help attract talent that would be interested in those details.
On a consumer level, Musk highlighted the fact that while people have seen plenty of impressive humanoid robots before, he insists that Tesla’s effort is different because it is focused on developing a robot that is manufacturable in high volume – unlike one-off projects that we have seen in the past.
Furthermore, Musk said that Tesla’s advantage is that its bot is going to be powered by its AI, which has been primarily developed for self-driving technology. He believes Tesla is going to be able to leverage this work to enable the robot to navigate the real-world and perform useful tasks.
The CEO reiterated previous comments about how Optimus can bring a “fundamental change in civilization as we know it” by virtually “ending poverty” through improving economic output when used in industry.
He believes that the robot should cost “less than $20,000” to make. He didn’t update the timeline to production, but he previously said Tesla planned to bring to production as soon as next year.
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