Elon Musk has shared amazing footage of his Optimus robot, which he hopes will one day assist people around the home.
Tesla‘s billionaire owner posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) showing the nearly 6-foot-tall humanoid taking a stroll around the factory floor.
Musk – who routinely posts clips showing the machine’s impressive capabilities – said in the post: ‘Going for a walk with Optimus.’
Viewers replied by jokingly expressing their concerns about robots taking over the world.
One replied: ‘This ain’t gonna go over well’, while another said, ‘It’s awesome until robots start killing humans’.
Optimus, Tesla’s almost six-foot-tall humanoid robot, can walk at five miles per hour, deadlift 150 pounds and carry 45 pounds
Musk – who routinely posts clips showing the machine’s impressive capabilities – said in the post: ‘Going for a walk with Optimus’
Others compared it to the ‘NS5’ robots in the 2004 American science fiction action film ‘I, Robot’.
Another user remarked: ‘He looks like he has to go to the bathroom.’
Several X users suggested the speed of the machine is similar to US President Joe Biden, now 81 years old.
However, others seemed genuinely impressed, with one saying: ‘Love these Optimus updates. Great seeing the improvements.’
Another added: ‘Gait is a lot more natural looking than I expected.’
Notable in the video is the absence of a white metal covering the robot’s chest, meaning its inner parts are visible.
Optimus was first announced at Tesla’s AI Day event in August 2021, but more than two years later there’s no official confirmation of when it will be released to the public.
The first prototype of the robot was unveiled a year later, although it couldn’t do much more than walk across the stage and wave.
Tesla revealed an updated prototype of the humanoid robot (‘Gen 2’) in a clip in December 2023, even though the first version never went on sale.
X (Twitter) users replied by jokingly expressing their concerns about robots taking over the world
Several users suggested the speed of the machine is similar to US President Joe Biden, now 81 years old
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Musk posted the video on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: ‘Going for a walk with Optimus’
Several others suggested the speed of the machine is similar to US President Joe Biden, now 81 years old
In the video, Gen 2 is shown picking up and holding an egg without breaking it, thanks to advanced tactile senses in its fingers.
Earlier in the year, another promo video showed Optimus demonstrating its balance as it moved through some basic yoga poses and stood on one leg.
Optimus stands at nearly six foot tall, is able to walk at five miles per hour, and can deadlift 150 pounds according to Tesla.
Optimus includes the Autopilot computer used in the company’s electric cars, which allows the humanoid to recognise real-world objects.
Musk has described it as a factory worker but one that could also make an ‘incredible buddy like R2D2 or C3PO’ for the everyday user in the home.
It’s been designed to handle ‘dangerous and boring’ tasks in a factory and other settings, although it will be ‘friendly’ and make a ‘very good companion’, like a pet.
It should be able to handle a range of jobs – from attaching bolts to cars with a wrench, to picking up groceries in shops.
Optimus Gen 2 can pick up an egg without breaking the shell due to its advanced tactile senses in its fingers
Optimus could make an ‘incredible buddy like R2D2 or C3PO’ from Star Wars (pictured) for the everyday user in the home
Musk noted that, unlike killer robots, the Tesla bot could be physically overpowered by the average human – suggesting it’s less of a danger than it looks.
The South African-born entrepreneur has already been highly vocal about his concerns over AI, calling it ‘much more dangerous than nukes’ and ‘more risk than North Korea’.
Customers will be able to buy Optimus between 2025 and 2027, according to Musk, with a retail price of ‘probably less than $20,000’ (£16,000).
More updates could be given at Tesla’s next AI Day event, which wasn’t held in 2023 but is expected to return this summer.
