The many developments on Tesla’s humanoid bot, Optimus, are ending, and after a renowned showcase at the recent AI Day event, the machine is back to showcase a new capability by walking up and down a hill. This latest development shows how the Optimus bot improved since its last demonstration as it can now control its limbs better to traverse earthy and rocky terrain on its own.
It was revealed by the company that this was made possible thanks to the novel ‘neural nets’ that allow the humanoid bot to get better control of its body, especially as it ensures that the machine does not fall flat.
Tesla Optimus is Now King of the Hill in Latest Video
Who is the ‘king of the hill’? Well, it is none other than Tesla’s Optimus robot which was recently showcased by the company and its CEO, Elon Musk, to be performing this latest capability with ease. Most robot showcases shared with the public demonstrate a humanoid robot’s capabilities on flat surfaces, and some are inside facilities where they are in a controlled environment.
Optimus can now walk on highly variable ground using neural nets to control its electric limbs.
Join @Tesla if you want to work on interesting real-world AI systems. https://t.co/C8J90Age5Y
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 9, 2024
However, Musk said that Optimus can walk on “highly variable ground,” and as seen from the video, the bipedal humanoid robot can traverse uneven terrain, with the video showing the earthy surface it walked.
Despite the hill being small and looks more like a hump, it is still an impressive feat for the bot as it is one of the top challenges for a bipedal machine, particularly as it also requires balancing throughout.
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Elon Musk: Neural Nets Help Optimus Balance
Musk also shared that the Optimus bot can run up and down that small hill because of its latest ‘neural nets’ around its body to control its electric limbs for the precise movement it needs to walk its talk. What is even more impressive is that according to Interesting Engineering, Optimus has undergone these tests without previously trying to walk this terrain, with its neural nets capable of processing movements in around 2 to 3ms.
Tesla Optimus Advancements and Features
It has been two years since Elon Musk introduced Optimus to the world by having it stand beside him during a Tesla AI day, with the CEO announcing that it can soon help in various setups, may it be for homes or factories. Tesla also touted Optimus’ strength in a previous showcase for the humanoid bot by having it lift an entire piano, the concert grand kind, as it has an actuator on its legs.
According to Musk, Optimus was made to help fulfill tasks for various needs, may it be helping out in one’s home or working in factories to automate and expedite jobs with its massive capabilities. However, apart from this important work, Musk also claimed that Optimus can do boring, dangerous, and repetitive tasks for humans as one’s assistant bot.
The machine, originally known as the Tesla Bot, went from zero to hero over the years as it presented significant capabilities and rapid development for what it has to offer, with generative AI possibly powering the bot to expand more of its features. While Optimus is still walking like a machine and seems unnatural for humans, it has improved capabilities now thanks to its neural net, capable of running up that hill.
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