Tesla Optimus Gen 2 Humanoid Robot gives a sneak peek into the future of robotics and AI

Tesla has finally dropped a demo video of its latest humanoid robot, Optimus Gen 2. The video gives us a sneak peek into the capabilities of Elon Musk’s latest venture in the world of robotics. It’s been over a year since we got to see Tesla’s first Optimus robot demo, where the robot was seen doing some awkward, wobbly stuff. Well, it seems the company made some serious changes to Optimus since then!

Tesla went full cylinders on revamping the robot. The Optimus Gen 2 is now 10 kg lighter, 30% faster, much smoother, and way more capable, and its movements now look more like those of humans. Moreover, Optimus now comes with new hands and feet, alongside a hint of Elon Musk’s style.

Tesla’s robotics team is hustling like its CEO. It’s been over two years since Musk announced Tesla’s foray into humanoid robots, but they managed to quickly churn out functional prototypes. By March this year, the company already had a robot showcasing some cool skills. And now, just ten months later, boom, we have a cutting-edge Optimus Gen 2. That’s some serious pace!

What does The Optimus Gen 2 bring to the table?

The Gen 2 bot now comes with a neck with two degrees of freedom, novel electronics and wiring, and a foot similar to humans, backed by articulated toe sections and torque sensors. Also, it has a fresh pair of hands, boasting a whopping 11 degrees of movement freedom, faster actuators, and tactile sensors on all fingers for some skilled object manipulation.

The new look is much more slimmer and more human-like; it glides with smoother movements, has better balance, and walks way less like it’s drunk. Still, you wouldn’t want to share an elevator with someone strutting like that.

Packing new bodywork, the Optimus Gen 2 is giving off a Model S vibe than the old Optimus with its raw Cybertruck look. Besides, it’s shed some weight, making it look more dapper. The company has also listed out the things it features:

• Tesla-designed actuators and sensors
• 2-DoF (degrees of freedom) actuated neck
• Actuators-integrated electronics and harnessing
• 30 percent walk speed boost
• Foot force/torque sensing
• Articulated toe sections
• Human foot geometry
• 10 kg total weight reduction
• Improved balance and full-body control
• Faster, 11-DoF brand-new hands
• Tactile sensing on all fingers
• Delicate objects manipulation

The new robot is seriously impressive, and the hardware progress has been downright killer, even though the company might still be far away from catching up with the super athletic Atlas robot from Boston Dynamics. But here’s the thing: Atlas will not be produced for the masses, and that’s where Musk and Tesla have the edge over their competition.

The company has proved that they are capable of innovating not just products but also mass manufacturing. While Atlas is more of a research platform, Tesla, along with Figure, Agility, Fourier, Sanctuary, Apptronik, and many others, is gearing up to unleash a whole army of humanoids into the workforce.

Challenges await for the Optimus Gen 2

While the company’s new flashy robot is undoubtedly impressive, it’s likely to face some challenges down the road. The real deal for all these humanoid creators is proving that their robots are capable of handling some real tasks in the real world consistently, reliably, and with flexibility. That’s the real deal — once they pull this off, they’ll truly be making an indelible mark on the world of robotics.

To put things in perspective, see how fast Toyota is teaching robots to handle tools and tackle kitchen chores. AI with eyes can observe humans in action and pick up new skills within hours. The strides made this year have been mind-boggling, and this is just the beginning. Things are only about to get spicy and speed up from here. Big changes are on the horizon from every angle, so brace yourself for a robotic revolution.

The Optimus Gen 2 isn’t made to be sold; it’s a prototype marking a step in a much bigger journey toward a super functional human-like robot, according to Tesla’s top man, Elon Musk. What’s its end goal you ask? To be a bot capable of handling all the stuff humans would rather not do. It’s built and shaped like humans on purpose, so you can smoothly swap out a person and slot in an Optimus, with no fuss.

Considering the challenges in engineering such a robot, it’s still unclear when exactly human labor replacement will become a reality. However, if Tesla’s promotion video is anything to go by, it looks like the company is making some serious headway toward achieving its goals.

The future of robotics seems bright

Things are moving at a swift pace in the robotics space. In November, researchers managed to develop a robotic hand that incredibly resembled a human hand, all thanks to a new 3D-printing method. The real deal here is the ability to 3D print a combination of hard and soft components by layering up to four plastics. The team believes it could be applied to create robots that are not only more intricate but also more resilient.

So, what the researchers have achieved is a robust yet pliable robotic component that can be scaled up without coming across challenges faced by other soft robots trying to maintain their properties at larger sizes. This method, dubbed vision-controlled jetting (VCJ), might not create those super realistic robots we see in TV shows like Westworld. However, it could significantly improve safety in automated industries.

And, on the flip side from giants like Atlas or Optimus, scientists also recently revealed the world’s first shape-shifting robot, which can change its form as it moves around. Elon Musk, during the 2022 Bumble-C launch, spoke about Tesla’s vision of deploying enhanced versions of their humanoid robots within the next five years. These bots are expected to collaborate with humans in actual industrial settings, such as factories.

But only time will tell whether we get to see these robots at the promised timeline or it will be yet another commitment that Elon Musk fails to fulfill.