Tesla has shared a new video that highlights the impressive autonomous capabilities of its humanoid robot, Optimus. The new footage showcases Optimus performing a variety of complex tasks without human intervention, demonstrating the robot’s growing proficiency and potential in practical applications.
The video was released on Thursday, one week after Tesla showcased Optimus at the ‘We, Robot’ event in California. Those robots performed thousands of tasks during the event, from playing rock, paper, scissors with guests, to acting as a bartender and pouring and handing out drinks. While the robots performed all of these tasks flawlessly, many questioned the autonomous capabilities of Optimus as they were being teleoperated by humans located nearby.
Presumably in response to those critics, Optimus shows off several advanced skills in this new video, most of which were performed autonomously.
Navigating by myself pic.twitter.com/CeFSqCcy5I
— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) October 17, 2024
Milan Kovac, Tesla’s newly appointed Vice President of Optimus, provided insight into the development process behind these capabilities. One of the primary challenges faced by the team was enabling Optimus to navigate autonomously in indoor environments where GPS is often unreliable.
The solution lies in visual navigation, where the robot uses its 2D cameras to map its surroundings and avoid obstacles, and then this data can be shared with other Optimus robots, allowing them to easily navigate through areas they have never been in before.
Optimus’ docking and charging ability is another significant milestone. The robot is now capable of autonomously locating a charging station and aligning itself precisely to dock and recharge. This level of precision is essential for the robot’s long-term functionality and efficiency, especially in environments where human assistance may not always be available.
Kovac also highlighted that the same core technology used in Tesla’s Autopilot system for vehicles plays a vital role in the development of Optimus’ autonomy. While the datasets required for training Optimus’ artificial intelligence differ, the underlying AI technology shares commonalities with Tesla’s self-driving cars. This linkage accelerates the robot’s development.
Optimus has also begun interacting with humans more meaningfully, learning to respond to hand gestures and voice commands to give out snacks and drinks.
In addition to navigating flat terrain, Optimus is learning to tackle more challenging environments, such as walking up stairs and navigating uneven surfaces. Although not yet autonomous in this part of the video, this progress brings Tesla one step closer to creating a robot capable of working in diverse environments.
Though there is still a long road ahead, but these advancements are promising, especially considering how quickly Optimus has gone from a prototype that needed to be helped out on to stage to where it is today. This latest video showcases the real-world potential of Optimus, moving beyond mere demonstrations and into practical, autonomous actions. With each new development, Tesla is inching closer to a future where humanoid robots like Optimus could become integral to everyday life.
