Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, is set to receive a significant upgrade to its hands later this year, according to a recent comment from CEO Elon Musk. The upgraded hands will feature 22 degrees of freedom (DoF), bringing them very close to the 27 degrees of freedom of a human hand.
A new video released by Tesla over the weekend showcased Optimus performing various tasks in a factory setting, demonstrating its precision and dexterity. NVIDIA’s Senior Research Manager and Lead of Embodied AI, Jim Fan, praised Optimus’ hands as among the best in the industry, noting their tactile sensing and 11 degrees of freedom, which surpass many competitors.
“Optimus hands are among the best 5-finger, dexterous robot hands in the world. It’s got tactile sensing, 11 degrees of freedom (DOF) compared to many competitors with only 6-7 DOF, and robustness to withstand lots of object interactions without constant maintenance,” Fan wrote.
The new Optimus hand later this year will have 22 DoF
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 5, 2024
Musk responded to Fan’s comment, confirming that the new Optimus hand, with 22 DoF, will be rolled out later this year. He expressed confidence that the new hands will further enhance Optimus’ capabilities.
The upgrade is expected to enable Optimus to perform tasks with nearly the same proficiency as a human being, a significant leap from its already advanced capabilities with 11-DoF hands.
During the first-quarter earnings call, Musk hinted at the possibility of selling Optimus externally by 2025, with limited production potentially starting before the end of 2024.
“We are able to do simple factory tasks or at least, I should say, factory tasks in the lab. We do think we will have Optimus in limited production in the natural factory itself, doing useful tasks before the end of this year. And then I think we may be able to sell it externally by the end of next year. These are just guesses,” Musk said.
