Elon Musk’s much-touted droid is a dud — at least compared to the state-of-the-art robots from Boston Dynamics.
Such was the reaction on Twitter and other social media after Musk unveiled Tesla’s “Optimus” prototype on Friday.
The self-controlled humanoid bot tottered onstage with a halting gait far less agile than the jaw-dropping robots from Boston Dynamics, which have run, jumped, back-flipped and danced like visions from “The Matrix” for years.
Optimus walked out slowly, waved and examined its odd five-fingered hand and then retreated at a similarly glacial place.
“My grandmother moves faster,” tweeted Gustavo Fernandez.
“Honestly, Boston Dynamics must be in hysterics by now,” tweeted James Bareham.
Boston Dynamics’ bots — especially its Atlas — are very advanced, and can do more than what Tesla’s creation can at this point. Its videos featuring complex dance routines and backflips frequently go viral.
Musk was undaunted, saying it was the first time Optimus had taken a stroll without a tether, and they didn’t want it to “fall on its face.”
Tesla has been working on the robots for just a few months, compared with decades at Boston Dynamics.
Musk also noted that Optimus can do complicated tasks and will be available to the public in as little as three to five years, for a price tag of about $20,000.
The CEO said the difference between Tesla’s design and other “very impressive humanoid robot demonstrations” is that Optimus is designed for mass production.
His goal is to see robots like Optimus taking over everyday tasks and jobs that humans find repetitive and boring.