Elon Musk has once again sparked the enthusiasm by hinting at the new features of the Optimus Gen 3 humanoid robot, which will have “so many improvements.” Although the robot is not yet fully developed, Musk and Tesla believe that Optimus can change the daily life of people and the valuation of the company.
Optimus has evolved a long way from its odd appearance as a man in a spandex suit to a well-engineered machine. The second-generation Optimus already has impressive improvements: it is 22 pounds lighter, 30 percent faster, and much more agile and dexterous. Its hands have 22 degrees of freedom, twice as many as Gen 1, and the design of the robot foot is very close to the human anatomy to achieve better balance.
Optimus Gen 2 has proven to be quite capable and has been seen to do yoga, squats, dancing, and even cooking. It has 28 degrees of freedom and better sensors and is already used in Tesla factories. Internal production is planned to start later this year; mass production is scheduled to start in 2026 and can scale up to 100,000 units by 2025.
Musk now teases that Gen 3 will take things to another level. Although he hasn’t shared specific features, he claims it will be capable of highly complex tasks such as folding laundry, babysitting, cooking, and walking the dog. Eventually, Tesla wants the robot to show off fine motor control, such as threading a needle, and test the limits of robotics coordination.
Tesla is in the process of constructing the production line to address the expected demand, and the dream of Musk of having robots in households and factories appears to be becoming a reality. With the pace of development increasing, Optimus Gen 3 might be a game-changer, not only to Tesla but also to our interactions with machines in our everyday lives.
