Tesla Optimus Robots Were Being Remotely Controlled By Humans At 'We, Robot' Event: Report

According to reports, Tesla employees "oversaw many interactions between the bots and attendees at the Cybercab's 'We, Robot' session in Los Angeles on October 10."

Elon Musk owned Tesla recently showcased the Tesla Optimus Robot at the Cybercab event, which left many tech enthusiasts impressed. However, it seems like the robot wasn't exactly functioning by itself or by AI rather, it was being controlled by humans. According to a report by the Bloomberg, the humanoid prototypes were utilised to "generate investor enthusiasm for forthcoming products." The robots were being remotely controlled by humans to showcase some of its capabilities. 

The report added that employees "oversaw many interactions between the bots and attendees at the Cybercab's 'We, Robot' session in Los Angeles on October 10." Notably, the report also stated that the bots used AI to walk without human control. The Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, did not mention or admit the involvement of human control and assistance during the event.

This raises questions about the readiness of the robots and their capabilities. 

As per Musk these products are going to be “the biggest ever of any kind.” He has positioned these bots as a household helper and they are likely to be sold at $20,000-30,000 each.

Event Was A Success?

A number of attendees gave examples of their interactions with Optimus as the standout feature of the event. Nancy Tengler, CEO of Laffer Tengler Investments, said, “Optimus stole the show in my view. Optimus paraded in and danced and looked remarkably human.”

Wedbush analyst Dan Ives termed it as a “glimpse of the future,” and said that the human-mimicking robot is “potentially much closer to a reality” than thought. 

Gene Munster, managing partner of growth investment firm Deepwater Asset Management, agreed to the theory of Optimus being remotely controlled and said that he had been “fooled” at the event.