Tesla, the Elon Musk-owned electric carmaker, showcased a fun video featuring its humanoid robot Optimus engaging in a range of activities, such as yoga and colour-based block sorting, all autonomously. The demonstration initially emphasized the robot's adeptness at efficiently sorting objects at a pace reminiscent of human capabilities. Furthermore, when a human element was introduced to increase complexity, the robot swiftly adapted and effectively completed the task.
The video proceeded to showcase Optimus performing yoga poses that demanded balance and flexibility, including standing on one leg and extending its limbs. Impressively, Optimus demonstrated its ability to self-calibrate its arms and legs, pinpointing the precise location of its limbs in space through vision and joint position encoders.
The official Tesla Optimus account shared the video on X (formerly Twitter), accompanied by the caption, "Optimus can now sort objects autonomously. Its neural network is trained fully end-to-end: video in, controls out. Come join us to help develop Optimus (& improve its yoga routine)."
An intriguing aspect revealed in the video is that TeslaBot is now operating on the same end-to-end neural network as Tesla cars, capable of processing video input and generating control output. Tesla CEO Musk responded to the video with a succinct expression, "Progress."
He also posted a fun photo of the android, striking a 'namaste' post.
The video garnered widespread admiration from users online, who were astounded by the robot's newfound abilities. Comments ranged from praising Optimus's smooth performance to expressing awe at Tesla's remarkable progress in AI and robotics. However, there is no definitive timeline provided for when TeslaBot will be ready for production or commercial use.
Tesla underscores the ambition to create a versatile, bipedal, autonomous humanoid robot capable of tackling monotonous, risky, or repetitive tasks. Achieving this objective necessitates the development of intricate software stacks enabling balance, navigation, perception, and interaction with the physical environment. Tesla is actively recruiting experts in deep learning, computer vision, motion planning, controls, mechanical engineering, and general software development to tackle the formidable engineering challenges associated with Optimus.