Tesla To Give Around $50 To Volunteers To Teach Its Humanoid Robot How To Walk Like A Human

The position offers an hourly wage ranging from $25 to $48, in addition to bonuses and extra benefits such as stock options.

Elon Musk-owned Tesla is willing to pay around $50 an hour to volunteers who would dedicate their time to help its humanoid robot, Optimus, learn how to walk like a human being. Tesla is hiring people to wear motion capture suits, virtual reality (VR) headsets with the aim to train Optimus. As per a report by the Business Insider, earlier last year the electric car manufacturer recruited over 50 people as “Data Collection Operators.” If you want to be hired for this role, then the first alleged condition to be selected is height i.e., you need to be between 5'7" and 5'11" of height. 

The other condition, though, is that they should be able to tolerate the disorientation that will be caused due to wearing a VR headset for around seven hours or more. 

Tesla Humanoid Robot Optimus Project: Renumeration, Other Details

The position offers an hourly wage ranging from $25 to $48, in addition to bonuses and extra benefits such as stock options. This job requires new data collection operators to wear motion capture suits and walk specific test routes, as well as perform additional tasks like carrying weights of up to 30 pounds. These activities are essential for generating data that will be used for further analysis.

Elon Musk initially disclosed Tesla's plans to develop humanoid robots during the company’s AI Day event in 2021. The following year, Musk introduced the public to Bumblebee, a prototype of the bipedal robot. During its debut, Bumblebee demonstrated its ability to walk on stage and wave to the audience, while a promotional video showcased its capability to lift and move boxes within an office environment.

Earlier this year, Musk announced that two Optimus robots are now operating autonomously at one of Tesla’s production facilities. Earlier in July, Musk tweeted, “Tesla will have genuinely useful humanoid robots in low production for Tesla internal use next year and, hopefully, high production for other companies in 2026.”