Tesla Debuts Autonomous Optimus Robots at 'We, Robot' Event, Plans Cybercab Production Before 2027

Oct 17, 2024, 06:42 AM

Tesla has showcased significant progress in its AI and robotics initiatives, particularly with its Optimus humanoid robot and plans for autonomous vehicles. At the "We, Robot" event on October 10, Tesla demonstrated approximately 20 Optimus robots walking, balancing, and dancing autonomously for around four hours, with only one reported fall when a robot's hand was caught by a handbag. The robots utilized hardware components from Tesla vehicles, such as batteries, cameras, and computers, including the company's 4680 battery cells, which accelerated their development. Using a single neural network running in real-time on their embedded computers, Optimus robots can autonomously navigate unfamiliar spaces, avoid obstacles, share maps among themselves, climb stairs, carry payloads of up to 11 kilograms, and locate and dock themselves at charging stations using rear cameras. In response to criticisms about teleoperation at the event, Tesla released a video highlighting these autonomous capabilities, emphasizing that the robots were not teleoperated. Elon Musk announced plans to start production of the Tesla Cybercab, a fully autonomous electric vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals, before 2027. The Cybercab is expected to be a key component of Tesla's robotaxi network, aiming to revolutionize urban transportation with AI-driven ride-hailing services. Musk stated that while others are pursuing different parts of the AI robotics stack, Tesla is pursuing all of them, positioning the company as a leader in both the autonomous vehicle and robotics sectors.