Tesla has highlighted the latest updates to its Optimus humanoid robot, with a video from this week showing off the bot’s ability to walk on graded ground.
On Monday, Tesla shared a video on X showing the Optimus robot as it walks up and down multiple mulch-covered hills, and Elon Musk and others from the team have provided some additional context. For one, Musk highlights in his post that the bot is able to walk on highly variable ground using neural nets to control each limb, rather than through teleoperation.
Tesla’s Vice President of Optimus Engineering, Milan Kovac, also reposted the video, noting that the robot was technically not able to see, meaning that it was keeping its balance without utilizing video. The executive also says that he has actually slipped in the same spots that Optimus is seen walking and slipping on, highlighting just how rough the terrain actually is.
The team does eventually plan to add Vision to the robot, and Kovac says the company is also looking to make other improvements, such as making the gait look more natural on rough terrain, making it more responsive to commands like velocity and direction, and learning how to minimize damage and stand back up when falling.
Daily walks help clear your mind pic.twitter.com/dUsW58trS6
— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) December 9, 2024
In October, Teslarati was fortunate to catch Optimus in person as it was pouring drinks and playing rock, paper, scissors with patrons at Tesla’s “We, Robot” Cybercab and Robovan unveiling. While the humanoid robot is still in development and doesn’t yet have very human-like responses or movements, Tesla also regularly highlights progress updates on the product that show just how much it has already improved since being unveiled.
Playing Rock, Paper, Scissors with @Tesla_Optimus
Welcome to the future. pic.twitter.com/b2e8pFLqE4
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) October 11, 2024
Recently, Tesla shared video of Optimus catching a tennis ball with a new hand design, though it was done through teleoperation rather than using its own neural network controls. Still, Musk says that Optimus will be able to catch a tennis ball autonomously by next year, following suit with his claims that the humanoid robot would be getting hands with 22 degrees of freedom by the end of this year.
Tesla is expected to begin producing Optimus en masse by 2026, with external deliveries aiming to start “before 2027,” according to Musk. However, Tesla has already started using Optimus for simple tasks in its factories, such as sorting battery cells on the production line.
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Tesla shares Optimus’ most recent breakthroughs in update video
