Tesla’s AI Robot Optimus Could’ve Done More Than Just Show Up- Experts

Tesla's AI Robot Optimus disappoints the experts; critics think that the future is still far off

The much-anticipated Tesla's AI Robot Optimus prototype has finally been unveiled by Elon Musk. The robot, which the Tesla CEO envisions being sold as a "general purpose" but that is less expensive than a car and equally capable of working in factories and performing household tasks, walks on two legs.

The presentation of Tesla's Optimus at Tesla's AI Day was loaded with the customary hype and deception from Elon Musk. It did, however, give roboticists a commendably thorough view of some of the AI Robot's genuine capabilities. Their assessment? Although the experts at Tesla have made amazing progress in such a short period, AI Robot Optimus is still a research robot that will take several years to develop into anything useful. With the introduction of Optimus, Tesla joined a plethora of other automakers engaged in the humanoid robot industry. Experts have had the last laugh at the launch.

Before we begin to know what experts have to say, let us know what was presented at the Tesla AI Day event-

• Two robots were shown. The first, known as Bumble C, was a "rough development robot" that could be seen moving boxes and picking up watering cans as it crossed the stage during prerecorded demonstrations. Musk referred to the second robot as having an external covering and being "pretty close to what will go into production." But it was only ever shown waving its hands and was only ever used as a prop, wheeled around by Musk.
• Musk reiterated his goal to develop "a usable humanoid robot as rapidly as possible," one that can be "produced in extremely high number, eventually millions of units," and that will "cost much less than a vehicle — far less than $20,000."
• For Optimus, we have some basic specifications. It is 73 kg in weight, with 28 degrees of articulation in its limbs, and is powered by a 2.3 kWh battery, which according to Tesla, can last all day at work.
• In a Q&A session at the end of the presentation, Musk said clients will be able to order one "within three years, probably not more than five years," and he reiterated the rumors that the bot could one day "be like a friend."

Those are some rough things that happened on that day but what do the experts have to say?

Florida State University robotics professor Christian Hubicki shared his opinions in a Twitter conversation, saying that while the Tesla team had "come a great way in approximately a year," the actual skills of Tesla's AI Robot Optimus were "normal (but not mind-blowing) for humanoids."

Hubicki observes in his thread that the Optimus robot appears to walk using a robotics technique known as zero moment point, or ZMP. This form of locomotion has been used for years by well-known robots like Honda's Asimo. According to Hubicki, this walking style is "very safe, but not mind-blowing in 2022."

He adds that the presentation's dependability is still another important topic that is left unanswered. "How frequently does it fall? You can't tell from a cool video, or even from a live demo," the speaker asserts. Reliability is a major consideration when it comes to using robots in manufacturing facilities, since any downtime on an assembly line may have a big ripple impact.

The first two Optimus bot prototypes, according to Will Jackson, CEO of Engineered Arts, were "decidedly deficient" and without "any innovation." They share a lot of similarities with Honda's Asimo robots, whose research has since been discontinued, according to Jackson. "The hands are fairly rudimentary, and the overall design is heavily built, clunky, and power wasteful. The only saving grace is a clutch mechanism in the finger activation. Compare the gear revealed this year to the reveal from last year, which featured a man in a robot suit, to see how far they have come from human-level movements and skills.

Jackson applauded Tesla's work on AI in general and the company's engineers' commitment, but he questioned the company's decision to create a humanoid robot for manual labor in the first place. "I find it incredible that Musk can speak to a group of people who are so fervently in love with the concept of a humanoid and completely miss the fact that their desire to communicate with a robot is the driving motive. Did he believe they were cheering because a humanoid robot capable of lifting a pipe in car manufacturing would finally be available to the world?

He concluded that the presentation displayed "an exceptionally bold live exhibition of a tremendous effort that sadly lacks creativity and imagination" and expressed the hope that "by the time of next year we will witness a course correction."