Elon Musk recently shared a video highlighting Tesla’s Optimus robot successfully walking on uneven terrain. The video, initially posted on X by Tesla, shows the robot navigating mulch-covered hills, emphasizing its ability to adapt to real-world environments. Musk noted that Optimus achieved this feat using neural networks to control its movements, rather than human guidance.
Musk’s Comments on Optimus’ New Features
In his post, Musk discussed Optimus’ advanced abilities, stating: “Optimus can now walk on highly variable ground using neural nets to control its electric limbs.” He also invited people to join Tesla to work on real-world AI systems.
Milan Kovac, Tesla’s Vice President of Optimus Engineering, also shared the video, emphasizing the robot’s ability to balance without relying on video input, as it doesn’t yet have vision capabilities. He mentioned the challenging nature of the terrain, noting that he himself had slipped in the same areas.
Tesla’s Ongoing Developments with Optimus
Kovac elaborated on ongoing developments, including adding vision for better planning, making the gait more natural on rough terrain, improving responsiveness, and teaching Optimus to fall safely and get back up. He encouraged people to join Tesla’s efforts in advancing robotics and AI, including reinforcement and imitation learning.
Musk later replied to Kovac’s post, clarifying that Optimus was still “blindfolded” while walking on uneven terrain, as vision hasn’t been integrated into the control system for such surfaces yet. However, Optimus robots are already utilizing vision for object avoidance in Tesla’s Palo Alto workplace.
Optimus’ Progress and Future Expectations
Tesla continues to make strides with Optimus, demonstrating its capabilities, including catching a tennis ball with a new hand design and pouring drinks. While still in development, Optimus is already performing simple tasks in Tesla factories. Musk anticipates that the robot will catch a tennis ball autonomously by next year, with mass production set to begin by 2026 and external deliveries expected before 2027.
