Tesla has unveiled its Optimus robot confidently running in a lab for the first time, showcasing improved stability, coordination, and motor control. Elon Musk’s company is accelerating the humanoid’s development, aiming for mass production next year at a car-like price. The video, titled “Just a New Personal Best in the Lab,” highlights Optimus’ enhanced gait and motor precision. Improvements in stability, coordination, and gait control are notable. Previous updates focused on basic skills like stepping, object handling, and posture. The new running footage signifies progress. The 180 cm, 72 kg humanoid features over 40 degrees of freedom, including 11 in its hands, for human-like movements. Optimus has a 2.3 kWh battery, sufficient for nearly a full workday, with power consumption ranging from 100 W at rest to 500 W while walking, making it energy-efficient among humanoids. Another video compares Optimus’ development from May 2023 to December 2025, showing initial hesitant steps and current advanced body control. Tesla has showcased Optimus’ evolving abilities throughout the project. By mid-2025, it could perform basic assembly, and by fall, it displayed smooth movements, even engaging in kung fu training. Though still in development, Tesla predicts mass production by 2026 and a price reduction to $20,000-30,000. Automakers view robotics as the next strategic frontier amid rising labor costs and global competition, with humanoid robots potentially becoming key production line components.
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