AI experts react to tesla’s new ‘optimus’ bot prototype demo
‘optimus’ bot demo unveiled at tesla AI day 2022
On September 30, 2022, Elon Musk revealed a prototype of the long-awaited Tesla ‘Optimus’ bot during the company’s annual AI Day event at Paolo Alto, CA. Building up anticipation among the tech community for over a year now, Tesla has promised to launch a ‘humanoid‘ — powered by its autonomous vehicle fleet — that can eventually take over almost all kinds of tedious chores. But expectations quickly went down the drain for most AI experts when the stage walls slowly opened to reveal an ‘under-developed’ robot — dubbed Bumbled C — awkwardly moving to the front and raising its arms to salute the crowd. At one point, the bot even raises its hands to the roof, sparking more cringe online.
The entrance was coupled with a 30-minute demo elaborating on the ‘anatomy’ of the robot (its joints, hands, and wrists) and technical specifications (AI, power, connectivity, design inspiration).
all images courtesy of Tesla
a disappointing reveal to many
Musk, joined by a few of Tesla members on stage, was quick to reassure the audience that this was a ‘rough development robot‘ built in just six months and it ‘can actually do a lot more than we just showed you‘. In fact, Lizzie Miskovetz, a Tesla engineer at the demo, stated that this was ‘the first time we try this robot without any back-up support, cranes, mechanical mechanisms, no cables, nothing.’ So, to avoid the Tesla Bot falling flat on its face at AI Day 2022, the company kept the performance to a boring minimum.
Taking to Twitter, tech specialists began criticizing Tesla for its disappointing reveal. One of them, Cynthia Yeung, tweeted: ‘None of this is cutting edge. Hire some PhDs and go to some robotics conferences @Tesla. @iros2022is coming up in a few weeks!‘ Meanwhile, AI researcher Filip Piekniewski posted: ‘This Tesla AI Day is next level cringeworthy. Complete and utter scam. Who on earth believes this bullshit anymore?‘
Bumble C prototype waving at the crowd
While sharing a few clips of the Tesla Bot carrying out tasks like watering plants or moving boxes around, Musk also emphasized that the humanoid has a load capacity of 20 pounds. Specs-wise, Tesla also revealed in a teaser tweet that ‘Optimus has biologically inspired hands, made to be useful in any setting,’ coupled with a 2.3kWh battery pack, Wi-Fi, and LTE features. Unlike most robotic developments, Tesla claims that ‘Optimus’ can eventually go into mass production and revolutionize economic sectors by benefiting both manufacturing and domestic needs. Once out on the market, Musk estimated the bot to cost less than $20,000.
Following the deconstructed prototype, a group of men wheeled out a fully-assembled version of ‘Optimus,’ the closest iteration of the final model. While boasting a relatively more attractive and ‘finished’ look than Bumble C, Musk pointed out that this prototype wasn’t ready to walk…yet.
‘Optimus’ at work
Tesla claims the robot can take over menial, every day tasks
the more ‘polished’ version of the Tesla Bot being wheeled out on stage
overview of the Tesla Bot concept design
how the humanoid model evolved over the year
None of this is cutting edge. Hire some PhDs and go to some robotics conferences @Tesla. @iros2022 is coming up in a few weeks! pic.twitter.com/sqWWpPZgK8
— Cynthia Yeung 🤖📦🌱 (@ctwy) October 1, 2022
