Science & Technology

Tesla unveils second generation of its humanoid Optimus robot

By T.K. Randall
December 14, 2023

Image: Elon Musk at the SpaceX CRS-8 post-launch press conference
Credit: Kim Shiflett / (PD) NASA When Elon Musk first revealed that Tesla was developing an affordable, autonomous humanoid robot, it was unclear if the tech billionaire would ever actually be able to deliver on his promise.

As it turned out, the robot - named Optimus - was the real deal, though when it was first unveiled in 2022, its slow movement and limited abilities made Musk's vision seem quite a long way off.

Now, though, Tesla's second iteration of Optimus has been revealed and it is fair to say that the robot is beginning to look like it might just live up to what Musk envisaged two years ago.

What's more, the progress made in such a short amount of time is genuinely impressive.Optimus Gen 2 is 30% faster and 10kg lighter than its predecessor, its hands have been upgraded with tactile sensing on all its fingers and it is sporting an upgraded array of sensors and actuators.

As the demonstration video below shows, it still looks as though it has had an unfortunate accident when it starts walking around, but that's something that will likely improve over time as well.

Musk's ultimate goal is to create a robot that can "eliminate dangerous, repetitive and boring tasks" ranging from cooking meals in the home to carrying heavy objects in the workplace.

While there is still some way to go before we are likely to see robots like this one in every household, Optimus Gen 2 is no doubt a step in the right direction.


Source: Ars Technica

Tags: Optimus, Robot