Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday that the first Optimus bot that will have all the Tesla-designed actuators integrated and walking will be ready by around November.
Musk said that no supplier produces the actuators required for the bot, leaving Tesla to design its own actuators that integrate the motor or the power electronics, the controller, and the sensors. Every one of them is custom-designed, Musk said.
“The first Optimus that is — that will have all of the Tesla designed actuators, sort of production candidate actuators integrated and walking should be around November-ish,” Musk said.
Production ramp-up will follow, the CEO added.
The actuators are designed for volume production and are lighter, tighter and more capable, Musk said.
Sometime next year, the bots will be able to do something useful in Tesla factories, the CEO said while adding that he is ‘pretty confident’ about it.
Tesla announced the humanoid Optimus two years ago and has made about 10 of them so far. At investor day earlier this year in March, Musk gave a demo of the bot walking.
These bots were initially aimed at performing unsafe, repetitive or boring tasks.
On Wednesday, however, Musk said that combining a Neuralink implant and a robotic arm or leg for an amputee can provide a cyber body that is incredibly capable.
“I was just talking to the Neuralink team,” Musk said while adding that there are 2 million amputees in the U.S. alone.
In August 2021, Elon Musk announced the development of a humanoid robot called “Optimus,” intended to perform various tasks in Tesla factories. The robot was designed to alleviate the burden of repetitive, hazardous, or mundane jobs, thus freeing up human workers for more complex and creative tasks.
The crucial aspect of Optimus lies in its actuators, which are devices responsible for controlling motion in mechanical systems. Elon Musk emphasized that no existing supplier produces actuators that meet Tesla’s requirements, leading the company to develop its own custom-designed actuators. These actuators are intended for volume production and are touted to be lighter, more compact, and highly capable, which could potentially enhance the robot’s performance and versatility.
© 2023 Zenger News.com. Zenger News does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Produced in association with Benzinga
Edited by Arnab Nandy
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