Tesla recently unveiled the Gen 2 iteration of its Optimus bot. The new-generation humanoid robot is a continuation of its bot program, which was announced in 2021 during Tesla’s AI Day. Although there was no prototype ready back then, Tesla did introduce ‘Bumblebee’ an early prototype of the Optimus bot, a year later at the 2022 AI Day.<\/p>\n
Bumblebee though was a rough representation of the Optimus bot, which couldn’t do anything more than just wave to the crowd when brought on stage via a wheeled platform.<\/p>\n
However, Tesla has now unveiled the Optimus Gen 2 bot, which is said to be capable of a lot more. The new bot is said to have learned a lot, even acquiring new skills with no programming involved, rather just by observing humans. The Optimus bot uses artificial intelligence like Tesla’s FSD tech – meaning the bot tracks human movements and learns from the interactions.<\/p>\n
As per reports, Tesla has changed everything inside and out on the Optimus Gen 2, allowing the robot to replicate human-like gestures. Tesla has also installed new custom-designed actuators & sensors, which are especially noticeable on the robot’s hands. They now have 11 degrees of freedom, which enables the robot to make delicate & precise movements. The fingers also have tactile sensing, which allows delicate handling of objects. Elon Musk stated that in a year, the robot will be able to thread a needle.<\/p>\n
The new-gen Optimus robot also walks 30% faster and is 10 kg lighter, without having to sacrifice any of its abilities. The video released on social media looked so good to be true that the team from the Optimus project had to clarify that there was no CGI involved in making the videos.<\/p>\n