Was Tesla’s Optimus Bots Controlled By Humans During ‘We, Robot’ Event?

Tesla’s highly anticipated "We, Robot" event last week showcased the company’s humanoid robot, Optimus, as they walked, danced, mixed drinks, and interacted with attendees. The event, held for investors and fans, aimed to inspire awe in Tesla’s vision for robotics. However, reports have since revealed that many of the robots were remotely controlled by humans, raising questions about their technological readiness.

Reports from sources such as Bloomberg and The Verge have confirmed that although the Optimus prototypes could walk autonomously using AI, the majority of interactions at the event required human assistance. Many of the robots' movements and responses were controlled remotely by employees, and a video even depicted an Optimus robot bartender admitting to being "assisted by a human." Consequently, this has raised doubts about the robots' market readiness, especially considering their anticipated price range of $20,000 to $30,000.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in his remarks at the event, played up the potential of the Optimus bots, describing a future where the robots could perform tasks such as teaching, babysitting, walking dogs, mowing lawns, and even running errands. “What can it do? It’ll be able to do anything you want,” Musk promised, comparing the robots to iconic sci-fi characters like R2-D2 and C-3PO. However, the revelation that human oversight was involved tempered some of the excitement.

Investors were less impressed, as Tesla's stock took an 11% dip after the event. Analysts pointed to not only concerns about the robots but also Musk’s failure to provide updates on near-term revenue strategies for Tesla’s Robotaxi initiative and its Full Self-Driving (FSD) technology.