Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, is tackling new ground, literally, in its latest video release. In a new video released on Monday, Tesla showcased Optimus skillfully traversing uneven and hilly terrain, highlighting a major leap in its ability to handle real-world challenges.
So far we have only seen Optimus walking in interior offices and warehouses, both of which are flat and relatively easy to walk through. However, Tesla has taken it to a new level, showing Optimus walking outside on hilly, mulched ground—an environment prone to instability, where even humans can struggle to maintain footing.
Tesla revealed that during these runs, Optimus operated without the assistance of video input, relying solely on other onboard sensors. These sensors feed data into a neural network running on Optimus’s embedded computer, which processes information in an astonishingly short time frame of approximately 2–3 milliseconds.
This approach enables the robot to maintain its balance dynamically, even in challenging environments. In one instance, Optimus did lose its footing and nearly fell to the ground, but with its quick reflexes, was able to regain its balance and continue walking down the slope.
Daily walks help clear your mind pic.twitter.com/dUsW58trS6
— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) December 9, 2024
While this video showcased some tremendous advancements in Optimus’ walking abilities, Tesla’s AI team is not stopping there and is actively working on several key upgrades to the humanoid robot.
According to Optimus engineer Milan Kovac, one key area of development is incorporating vision capabilities. While the current demonstration highlights Optimus navigating terrain “blind,” future iterations will leverage visual input to plan movements more effectively, allowing the robot to adapt seamlessly to a variety of environments, significantly improving its situational awareness and decision-making.
In addition to vision, Tesla is refining Optimus’s movement mechanics to achieve a more fluid and natural gait, even on challenging terrain. Engineers are also focused on optimizing the robot’s responsiveness to changes in velocity and directional commands, ensuring it can react quickly and accurately in dynamic settings.
Another critical area of progress is developing strategies for safe recovery from falls. The team is working on teaching Optimus how to minimize damage during unavoidable tumbles and enabling it to stand back up independently, a vital feature for its long-term functionality and durability.
The development team is expanding and actively recruiting talent across multiple tracks, including robotics-specific reinforcement learning, 3D understanding, and foundational AI models. This ambitious hiring push reflects Tesla’s vision of making Optimus a common tool in industries and households alike.
