American multinational auto company Tesla has revealed its latest humanoid robot, Optimus Gen 2, the latest in the company’s robotic and artificial intelligence endeavors.
Tesla Optimus posted a demo video on X, formerly known as Twitter, announcing the new robot on Wednesday. The video starts with previous iterations of bipedal robots, including their Bumblebee model from September of last year and the first generation Optimus robot from March of this year.
There’s a new bot in town 🤖
Check this out (until the very end)!https://t.co/duFdhwNe3K pic.twitter.com/8pbhwW0WNc
— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) December 13, 2023
The new robot has several improvements over the previous model, some of which mimic human characteristics. It boasts a 30% walking speed boost over the previous model and is also 22 pounds lighter, according to the video.
Other new human-like features include “foot force/torque sensing” and “articulated toe sections,” complete with “human foot geometry.” The video shows the new Optimus robot walking past Tesla Cybertrucks and even performing squats to demonstrate its “improved balance & full body control.”
The Optimus Gen 2 model also features new “faster” hands complete with tactile sensing on each of its fingertips. The promotional footage shows the robot flexing its hands and demonstrating its ability to use the new sensors to pick up fragile objects. The robot is seen picking up an egg and passing it from hand to hand before setting it down.
The video seems to end by flashing the Tesla logo but then cuts to a video of two of the robots dancing.
Musk had previously predicted that the Optimus program would rise in importance over the course of its development.
“I was surprised that people do not realize the magnitude of the Optimus robot program,” said Musk in April of last year, according to CNBC. “Those who are insightful or who listen carefully will understand that Optimus ultimately will be worth more than the car business and worth more than full self-driving. That’s my firm belief.”
