Elon Musk announced on X that Tesla is refining the Optimus robot’s design, primarily focusing on manufacturing efficiency.
The Tesla CEO identified this as a critical bottleneck in scaling up production of the humanoid robot.
The Optimus robot represents one of Tesla’s most ambitious future products.
Musk has expressed high expectations, predicting it will become “the most popular product of any kind ever” due to its capabilities.
During last month’s “We, Robot” event in Los Angeles, Musk shared that the robot would be priced between $20,000 and $30,000.
He described it as a versatile home assistant, capable of tasks ranging from dog walking to childcare, and even demonstrated its ability to serve drinks at parties in promotional materials.
According to Musk’s latest update:
“Well, Optimus is already doing some tasks in the factory and the scope of its ability is increasing rapidly. The toughest part by far is improving the design of Optimus for ease of manufacturing and tooling up a complex supply chain, so it can be made in significant numbers.”
Well, Optimus is already doing some tasks in the factory and the scope of its ability is increasing rapidly.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 7, 2024
The toughest part by far is improving the design of Optimus for ease of manufacturing and tooling up a complex supply chain, so it can be made in significant numbers.
This focus on manufacturing efficiency mirrors Tesla’s automotive strategy, particularly evident in their approach with the Model Y, which shares numerous components with the Model 3 to streamline production.
The simplified design is expected to benefit both manufacturing scalability and maintenance ease for future owners.
Tesla plans to maintain the robot’s capabilities while implementing these changes, as the AI-driven system will continue to improve over time, similar to their Full Self-Driving technology.
