Tesla has unveiled its next-generation bipedal machine, Optimus Gen-2. With an impressive display of the humanoid robot available on YouTube, roboticists should keep an eye on Elon Musk. What can the new bot do, and could you hope to own one in your futuristic future home?
What is the Tesla Optimus Gen-2 humanoid robot?
The Tesla Optimus Gen-2 is an AI-powered machine, in the form factor of a human. This enables it to walk around areas accessible to humans, and perform tasks that humans don’t want to do.
As defined by the official profile on X, the new bot is “a general purpose, bi-pedal, humanoid robot capable of performing tasks that are unsafe, repetitive or boring.” Early prototypes of the Tesla bot were met with skepticism, but new tactile sensing and torque sensors, a KG weight reduction, and important upgrades to precise movements in a variety of tasks involving delicate objects are swaying opinions in the opposite direction.
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As an overview, Tesla’s mission here is to create a “general purpose, bi-pedal, autonomous humanoid robot capable of performing unsafe, repetitive or boring tasks.” Doing so comes with impressive productivity and economic growth predictions. “Achieving that end goal requires building the software stacks that enable balance, navigation, perception and interaction with the physical world.”
It leverages research within Tesla, which is currently hiring AI research scientists for high-six-figure salaries. In fact, the employer is one the world’s highest-paying for deep learning, motion planning, computer vision, controls, mechanical, and general software engineers. The firm is making proprietary developments within computer vision for the self-driving systems you’ll find in its cars. This same spatial perception applies to the wider field of robotics, making Tesla a leader in autonomous robotics navigation systems.
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How much does Tesla Optimus cost?
Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed at Tesla AI Day 2022 that the new bot will cost “much less than a car”. The ballpark figure we have for now is $20,000 or less.
When can you buy Tesla Optimus Gen-2?
Sadly, there will be a bit of a wait before we can all rush out and recreate the Jetsons in our own home. The Tesla Optimus Gen-2 is expected to arrive between 2025 and 2027.
