AI Day 2022 Features Tesla Humanoid Robot Prototype
Tesla presented a functioning prototype of its Optimus humanoid robot at AI Day 2022. It's no longer a man in a robot outfit.
The bot isn't agile or stable, but it can walk on its own and wave to the crowd, demonstrating improvement over the past year.
Elon Musk and his team constructed Bumble C with off-the-shelf actuators and components, so it's not representative of the finished bot. Tesla brings out an Optimus prototype after Bumble C leaves the stage.
This second bot featured Tesla's own battery, actuators, and electronics, and although it wasn't fully functioning, it illustrated how the finished version would look and function. Musk says it will walk in weeks.
When the second bot was brought on stage, crowd reactions were much more subdued than when Tesla brought out the parts bin bot that could walk on its own. If only the non-walking Optimus prototype was exhibited, the reaction would have been negative.
Musk projected that each Optimus device would cost $20,000 each. It will have a 2.3 kWh battery pack, 28 structural actuators, run at 52 volts, and incorporate part of Tesla's semi-autonomous gear.