When Elon Musk unveiled the Tesla Bot concept at the first AI Day event last year, he said they hoped to have a working prototype by the end of 2022. Many didn’t believe the company would be able to achieve that goal on such a short timeline, but as promised a working prototype was unveiled at tonight’s AI Day 2022 event in California.
Not only did they unveil a working prototype, they actually showed off two, although the second one didn’t quite work as much as the first one did…yet.
The first iteration, referred to as Bumblecee (think of Bumblebee from the Transformers), was built using many off-the-shelf components, and was the one the walked onto the stage at the opening of tonight’s event.
Visually the robot was quite crude, but was able to perform some basic tasks like walking on stage, waving to the crowd, and even show off some dance moves.
They also showed it performing some basic tasks at the Fremont factory, like delivering a package to a worker’s desk, watering the plants, and doing some work on the factory floor.
Bumble Cee helped lay the groundwork for the next version, which Elon Musk said was actually quite close the one that will enter production. This version of Optimus was helped onto the stage by several employees because the team hadn’t quite been able to make it walk yet, but Musk said this accomplishment was likely only a few weeks away.
This robot was visually more polished (literally) and even had a Giga Texas belt buckle.
Unlike Bumble Cee, Optimus was built using many Tesla-made components like the six different unique actuators, knee joints, the battery, and more.
Musk also stressed that by doing this it will help when it comes to producing these robots by the millions as it will streamline production with fewer and less complex parts.
Powering the Tesla Bot is a 2.3kWh battery pack which will be enough power for a full day of tasks. It also has WiFi, LTE, and the same self-driving computer found in your Tesla vehicle.
Musk said the Tesla Bot will cost less than $20,000 once it enters production, and when it does it will “be a fundamental transformation for civilization as we know it.”
When will the Tesla Bot enter production? Musk didn’t give a timeline tonight, but he has previously said it could be as soon as next year. Based on the ability of the Tesla Bot team to meet the first deadline to develop a working prototype in just one year, there is a good chance they will also be able to meet this timeline.
Here are a few images Tesla has released showing Optimus in more detail. You can also watch the full AI Day 2022 presentation below the photos.
