Tesla Optimus, the humanoid robot, is an assistant for boring tasks by Tesla. Elon Musk calls it “a fundamental transformation for civilization.”
According to Musk, it is an extension of his cars, a dream from ‘robots with wheels to Robots with legs’.
From their announcement in 2021 to their first prototype in 2022 to Optimus Gen 2 in 2023, the progress has always been consistent. Musk called it a product belonging to the “age of abundance.”
What can Optimus do?
Optimus works in the Supercharger Tesla diner. Lately, Optimus was seen serving popcorn at the diner. It can move comfortably in uneven terrains and even be quick to help itself when it slips, as per a video that surfaced in 2024. Instead of a remote control, it functions on a neural network and sensory input, helping it navigate on its own.
Musk has plans for Optimus
With a further upgrade in 2026, Musk has a lot in store for Optimus. It will begin to play the role of a ‘food runner’, bringing orders to customers at their cars, he says.
However, Musk is yet to express the complete vision they have for it. Even though he called it a ‘general-use, everyday robot’, which has many broad applications, netizens seem to be excited to see how ‘human-like’ it could get.
Netizens react to Musk’s age of abundance
Musk also posted several tweets about his Tesla Diner and supercharger, with crowds taking over the place, hyping up the netizens with fun animations about how futuristic the whole place is.
Recently, tweeting the idea of putting Optimus in a cute outfit, netizens reacted with ideas and images of the robot in roller skates and retro outfits. Many call it “the Diner of the future”. While Musk argues that they’ll handle ‘boring, repetitive tasks, some raise concerns about robots like Optimus replacing human jobs, tweeting “Robots don’t need salaries, but humans do need food.”
People await to see what the ‘age of abundance’ holds.
