Tesla Optimus Just Got Brand New Hands, Speed Boost

Tesla’s Optimus just got a major overhaul. With the December update, Optimus-Gen 2 has new actuators and sensors. It now has a 2 degree of freedom (DoF) actuated neck, allowing more movement.

With new electric motors, there is a 30% walk speed boost, along with torque sensing, articulated toe sections, and human foot geometry. These with a 10 kg weight reduction, gives Optimus improved balance and easier full body control. 

The best part is the improvement in hands with faster motion and 11 DoF, giving it brand new hands. With a tactical sension on all fingers, the humanoid can handle delicate objects easily. In the video, Optimus holds an egg between the thumb and forefinger of left hand and transfers it to the other hand, then places it on the table gently.

The video ends with two Optimus dancing with disco lights. 

Almost a year ago, Elon Musk unveiled the prototype of Tesla’s Optimus. It was still in the early stages of development and not much was revealed by the company regarding how exactly it functioned. Now, Tesla has announced major improvements in its humanoid robots and it looks like it is moving closer to what Musk has envisioned for Optimus.

Last year, Optimus just waved on the stage. In September, it could pick up and sort objects, do yoga, and navigate through surroundings. Moreover, compared to others such as Boston Dynamics that work on rule-based systems, Optimus works on neural networks.