Hardware

Optimus (Tesla)

Optimus is Tesla's humanoid robot program, announced in 2021, developing a bipedal general-purpose robot intended first for repetitive tasks in Tesla's own factories. The program leverages Tesla's vertically integrated actuators, batteries, and vision-based AI stack derived from its driver-assistance systems, with training that draws on human video and teleoperated demonstrations. Successive prototypes have demonstrated walking, object handling, and sorting.

Why it matters for physical AI

Optimus exemplifies the bet that automotive-scale manufacturing and vision-first learning can drive humanoid costs down, shaping investment and expectations across the humanoid industry.