- Tesla’s humanoid Optimus bot showed new “squatting” and “deadlifting” capabilities in a video lifting an egg.
- However, rival experts remain skeptical Tesla can achieve Elon Musk’s ambitious goals by 2027.
- While displaying incremental improvements, Optimus has yet to demonstrate the dynamic moves and reliability.
Tesla’s Humanoid Robot
Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus can now add “squat” and “deadlift” to its workout regimen after a new video shows the bot easily picking up an egg.
The brief clip tweeted by CEO Elon Musk recently displays “Generation 2” of Optimus, which is newly able to perform the maneuver along with other incremental improvements.
Musk predicts the bot’s capabilities in unsafe tasks will drive Tesla’s long-term value. However, the company has yet to demonstrate such repetitive warehouse jobs versus its recent yoga stretching.
Ambitious Goals and Skepticism
Rival robot maker Agility CEO Damion Shelton wasn’t impressed, stating: “Let us know when Optimus can walk through a crowded hallway without falling.”
Musk is notoriously ambitious with timelines that often go unmet, notes biographer Walter Isaacson: “He’s always wrong about how fast self-driving will be, how fast the Cybertruck will be made.”
Commercial launch still hazy
With warehouses demanding reliable robots now, Tesla’s trajectory toward a commercial 2027 humanoid bot release remains cloudy at best.
But at least Optimus can grab some gains and clutch an egg, showing incremental progress toward Musk’s goal of a bot workforce assisting humans.
Tesla designers need to teach Optimus more dynamic moves to keep pace with competitors already testing real logistics work.
