Tesla’s ambitious goal of launching an autonomous humanoid robot, Optimus, still appears to be far from reality after the robot required human assistance during a recent event, Axios reports.
CEO Elon Musk had described the Tesla Optimus as potentially the company’s most significant product ever, promising that it would handle tasks ranging from mowing the lawn to walking the dog. However, the demonstration at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event raised concerns about the robot’s current capabilities.
At the event, the Optimus robots were seen interacting with attendees and serving drinks, but it was later revealed that humans were helping to operate them. This revelation cast doubt on the robot’s level of autonomy, drawing criticism from some observers. The reliance on human assistance undermined the concept of Optimus as an autonomous machine.
In response, Tesla posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) to showcase Optimus’ abilities, emphasizing its capability to explore spaces autonomously, avoid obstacles, and carry significant payloads. The video appeared to be an effort to reassure the public and investors that the robot’s development was on track.
At the event, Musk had estimated that Optimus would eventually retail for $20,000 to $30,000, though he acknowledged that achieving this goal would take time. Optimus engineers also admitted that the robots had received some human assistance to help demonstrate their vision of the future.
