Boston Dynamics knows how to impress. Atlas was put to the test in a controlled environment and displayed amazing capabilities, even though it’s still not ready to explore and understand an entire area by itself. While it can do most of what its creators want, Atlas still needs a little bit of help. So, Tesla didn’t wait long to publish its own video. But it may not have the same effect.
Last year, Tesla’s AI Day brought us not one but two Tesla Bots. The prototype named Bumble C. took a freakishly humanoid form, while Optimus was shown without walking capabilities. Back then, Elon Musk promised everyone Optimus was going to walk “in a couple of weeks.” However, a few months have passed since then, and we know nothing more about Optimus’ robotic musculoskeletal system.
We received a sneak peek on LinkedIn regarding the actuators. Though impressive, it was only about an individual part.
We shouldn’t be surprised. Tesla’s strategy for the Bot extends long-term. Even Elon Musk said that Optimus will become “incredible in five or 10 years.” So, there’s more work to be done.
On the other hand, Boston Dynamics took us all by surprise when it showed a couple of days ago that Atlas can identify a voice command, discover an object, pick it up, create a clear way to reach the human, and can do so by throwing around some clever schemes.
For now, we won’t all be replaced by robots. The behind-the-scenes footage shows that the team behind Atlas had to code the whole show, and they were forced to tell the robot what and when to do. Still, it is mighty impressive that this humanoid clunk of metal and cables can move so well. It makes everything look extremely easy, even though what it did could have been complicated even for a fit human.
Tesla’s answer isn’t as exciting (or terrifying if you don’t like human-like robots), but it confirms that work on the Bot continues, and Optimus might soon see the light of day. For now, however, the team behind the project is still dealing with actuators and is trying to find the perfect recipe for the Bot’s humanoid behavior.
Finally, Optimus has the potential to turn a new generation of youngsters into people that work to relieve humans of the most basic day-to-day tasks. But Tesla must somehow push on and get ahead of Boston Dynamics’ Atlas. Otherwise, it might end up being a very expensive and useless venture.
Time will tell. Now watch Tesla’s video about the Bot. It shows what solutions the team has in place right now and how everyone is working to make sure Optimus will deliver when it will be ready.
Car shows on TV and his father's Fiat Tempra may have been Florin's early influences, but nowadays he favors different things, like the power of an F-150 Raptor. He'll never be able to ignore the shape of a Ferrari though, especially a yellow one. Full profile
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