Elon Musk has shared amazing footage of his Optimus robot, which he hopes will one day help people around the house.
The billionaire owner of Tesla posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) that shows the almost 1.80 meter tall humanoid walking through the factory floor.
Musk – who regularly posts clips showing off the machine's impressive capabilities – said in the post: “Taking a walk with Optimus.”
Viewers responded by jokingly expressing concern about robots taking over the world.
One replied: “This won't go over well,” while another said: “It's great until robots start killing people.”
Optimus, Tesla's 6-foot-tall humanoid robot, can walk at a speed of five miles per hour, deadlift 150 pounds, and carry 45 pounds
Musk – who regularly posts clips showing off the machine's impressive capabilities – said in the post: “Taking a walk with Optimus”
Optimus bot stats
Height: 5ft 8
Weight: 125 pounds
Load capacity: 45 pounds
Deadlift: 150 pounds
Speed: 5 miles per hour
Availability: TBC
Cost: $20,000 or less
Others compared it to the “NS5” robots in the 2004 American sci-fi action film “I, Robot.”
Another user remarked: “He looks like he needs to go to the bathroom.”
Several X users suggested that the machine's speed was similar to that of US President Joe Biden, now 81 years old.
However, others seemed really impressed, with one saying: “I love these Optimus updates.” “It's great to see the improvements.”
Another added: “The walk looks much more natural than I expected.”
What's notable in the video is that the robot's chest is not covered by a white metal, so its internal parts are visible.
Optimus was first announced at Tesla's AI Day event in August 2021, but more than two years later, there is no official confirmation as to when it will be released to the public.
A year later, the first prototype of the robot was presented, but it couldn't do much more than walk across the stage and wave.
Tesla unveiled an updated prototype of the humanoid robot (“Gen 2”) in a clip in December 2023, although the first version never went on sale.
X users (Twitter) responded by jokingly expressing concern about robots taking over the world
Several users suggested that the speed of the machine was similar to that of US President Joe Biden, now 81 years old
'Already going faster than the leader of the free world': But can President Biden deadlift 150 pounds?
Musk posted the video on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption: “Walking with Optimus”
Several others suggested the machine's speed was similar to that of US President Joe Biden, now 81 years old
The video shows Generation 2 picking up and holding an egg without breaking it, thanks to the advanced tactile senses in their fingers.
Earlier this year, another promotional video showed Optimus demonstrating his balance while performing some basic yoga poses and standing on one leg.
According to Tesla, Optimus is almost 1.80 meters tall, can walk at eight kilometers per hour and can deadlift 70 kilograms.
Optimus contains the autopilot computer used in the company's electric cars, allowing the humanoid to detect real-world objects.
Musk has described it as a factory worker but could also be an “incredible sidekick like R2D2 or C3PO” for the everyday user at home.
It was designed to handle “dangerous and boring” tasks in a factory and other environments, although it is “friendly” and makes a “very good companion” like a pet.
It should be able to handle a range of tasks – from putting screws on cars with a wrench to picking up groceries at stores.
Optimus Gen 2 can pick up an egg without breaking the shell because his fingers have a keen sense of touch
Optimus could make an “incredible sidekick like R2D2 or C3PO” from Star Wars (pictured) for the everyday user at home
Musk noted that unlike killer robots, the Tesla bot could be physically overpowered by an average human – suggesting it is less dangerous than it looks.
The South African-born entrepreneur has already made his concerns about AI clear, calling it “much more dangerous than nuclear weapons” and “more risky than North Korea.”
Musk said customers will be able to buy Optimus between 2025 and 2027 at a retail price of “probably less than $20,000” (£16,000).
Further updates could be announced at Tesla's next AI Day event, which, while not in 2023, is expected to take place again this summer.
A TIMELINE OF ELON MUSK'S COMMENTS ON AI
Elon Musk is one of the most recognizable names and faces in technology development.
The billionaire entrepreneur heads SpaceX, Tesla and the Boring company.
Although he is at the forefront of developing AI technologies, he is also aware of the dangers.
Here's a comprehensive timeline of all of Musk's premonitions, thoughts, and warnings on AI to date.
August 2014 – “We must be extremely careful with AI.” Potentially more dangerous than nuclear weapons.”
October 2014 – “I think we should be very careful with artificial intelligence.” If I had to guess what our biggest existential threat is, it's probably this. That’s why we have to be very careful with artificial intelligence.”
October 2014 – “We summon the demon with artificial intelligence.”
June 2016 – “The harmless situation with ultra-intelligent AI is that we would be so far inferior in intelligence that we would be like a pet or house cat.”
July 2017 – “I think AI is risky at a civilizational level, not just at an individual risk level, and so it really requires a lot of security research.”
July 2017 – “I've come into contact with cutting-edge AI and I think people should really be concerned about it.”
July 2017 – “I keep ringing the alarm bell, but until people see robots walking across the street and killing people, they don't know how to react because it seems so ethereal.”
August 2017 – 'If you're not worried about AI safety, you should be 'significantly higher risk than North Korea.'
November 2017 – “Maybe the chance of success is five to ten percent.” [of making AI safe].'
March 2018 – “AI is much more dangerous than nuclear weapons.” So why don’t we have regulatory oversight?
April 2018 – '[AI is] a very important topic. It will impact our lives in ways we can’t even imagine right now.”
April 2018 – '[We could create] an immortal dictator from whom we would never escape.'
November 2018 – “Maybe the AI will make me follow him, laugh like a demon and say who the pet is now.”
September 2019 – “Unless advanced AI (beyond simple bots) is used to manipulate social media, it won’t be long before it does.”
February 2020 – “At Tesla, using AI to solve autonomous driving isn’t just the icing on the cake, it’s the icing on the cake.”
July 2020 – “We are heading towards a situation where AI is far more intelligent than humans, and I think that time frame is less than five years.” But that doesn't mean everything will go to hell in five years. It just means things are getting unstable or weird.'
April 2021: “A lot of real-world AI needs to be solved to make unattended, general, fully autonomous driving work.”
February 2022: “We have to solve a lot of AI just to get cars to drive themselves.”
December 2022: “The danger of training AI to wake it up – in other words, lie – is deadly.”
September 2023: “The age of AI is quickly becoming real for the general public.”