Tesla presents humanoid robot that should cost less than $20,000
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has unveiled a prototype of a humanoid robot. Optimus contains 40 servo motors, a battery of 2.3 kWh and mechanical hands that allow fine movements. According to Musk, the production version of the robot will cost less than $20,000.
The humanoid robot was given the name Optimus, will be 1.72 meters tall and weigh about 56 kilograms. The robot has a built-in battery of 2.3 kWh. It is placed in the middle of the torso and can supply the robot with electricity for “a whole working day”, according to Tesla. Incidentally, the battery has all the electronics needed to electronically control the robot.
The soc is located according to Tesla also in the torso. The chipset was developed by Tesla itself and, according to the company, is responsible for processing the robot’s visual and sensory data. Incidentally, this visual data processing is done by the same technology that controls the Autopilot function in Tesla cars. The robot supports audio for communication purposes and also includes Wi-Fi and LTE modules. Tesla mentions that the chipset also includes hardware security features to protect both the robot and bystanders. The company does not say in which scenarios this may be necessary.
Tesla Optimus humanoid robot
The humanoid robot will contain 40 servo motors that provide movement. According to Tesla, those motors do not differ much from the servo motors that the company uses for its cars, although the car manufacturer has made the necessary adjustments. The engineers identified specific motor movements that the humanoid robot should be able to perform and then developed six different types of servo motors with these movements in mind. By making the necessary adjustments and adjusting the design of the servo motors, some of those servo motors can lift an object weighing 500 kilograms.
Tesla has also built a digital library of movement patterns that the robot can draw from. Each basic movement was first performed by a human and then captured. That capture serves as a reference, but the humanoid robot will also be able to adjust those movements itself if a situation calls for it.
The company also discussed the robot’s mechanical hands. Each hand contains six drive motors that currently allow 11 degrees of freedom of movement. Each hand contains numerous sensors and flexible artificial tendons that allow a customizable grip and fine-grained finger movements. This requires the robot to be able to grip and pick up small or thin objects. According to Tesla, a mechanical hand can lift a carrying case of about 9 kilograms. The hands would also be able to use tools.
According to Elon Musk, it was the very first time that this prototype ran without supporting cabling. The robot is reportedly capable of more than just walking around right now, but Musk didn’t want to take any chances during the demo. Videos show how the robot carries, among other things, a cardboard box, which also puts it down, and how it moves in a factory environment while walking. Musk also shared the final design of the Optimus robot. That final version should be able to move individual fingers independently of each other and contain lighter materials. According to Musk, this version will eventually cost less than $20,000 and the company can produce “millions”. It is not clear when the humanoid robot will actually be for sale.