Optimus (Bumblebee prototype)
Bumblebee was the first physical Tesla humanoid, built in about six months after the 2021 Tesla Bot announcement using off-the-shelf parts. It walked on stage at AI Day on 30 September 2022 and was shown moving boxes in a video. It was a stepping stone toward the Tesla-designed Optimus Gen 1 shown the same day.
We have not sat down with this one. The score below is computed from the data we hold, and the facts on this page are sourced. It is not on sale, so there is nothing to recommend.
How the score is built
Capability is what the machine physically does. Value compares it with others at a similar price, not with the whole market. Buyability asks whether you can really order one. Ecosystem is the software and community around it. Proof is what it has done in the field, which is where most humanoids score badly and should.
What people buy instead.
- Status
- Retired
- Category
- general purpose
- First revealed
- 30 September 2022
- Form
- bipedal
- Height
- n/a
- Weight
- n/a
- Payload
- n/a
- Degrees of freedom
- n/a
- Battery
- n/a
- Runtime
- n/a
- Walking speed
- n/a
- Actuation
- electric, largely off-the-shelf actuators
- Units deployed (est.)
- not disclosed
- Teleoperation
- unknown
Where it stands
Early development mule shown walking on stage at Tesla AI Day 2022; superseded by Optimus Gen 1 and Gen 2.
What stands out
- First Tesla humanoid to walk in public (AI Day 2022)
- Built with off-the-shelf actuators as a development mule
- Tesla Bot concept announced at AI Day 2021 with a person in a suit
Autonomy, observed
Walked unassisted on stage for a short distance at AI Day 2022; no independent deployment.
Price and volume
no public price
Other robots by Tesla.
Optimus Gen 1
Optimus Gen 1 was the first Tesla-designed humanoid, unveiled at AI Day 2022 with 28 actuators, an 11 DoF hand and a 2.3 kWh battery. It first walked untethered in videos in March and May 2023. Tesla positioned it as a product to be built at scale using its car-manufacturing know-how.
Optimus Gen 2
Optimus Gen 2, revealed on 12 December 2023, is about 10 kg lighter than Gen 1, walks 30 percent faster and has Tesla-designed actuators, an actuated neck and tactile fingers. It has been used for internal factory trials and at Tesla marketing events, where it was partly teleoperated. It is the version the public has seen most.
Optimus V3
Optimus V3 is the version Tesla describes as production-intent, with a new 22 DoF hand and forearm and a factory line in Fremont planned for 2026. Musk has repeatedly said V3 would be unveiled in early 2026 and that volume production is targeted for later in the decade. Tesla has stated a long-term ambition of one million units per year.
Sources
- 01
- 02Optimus (robot)Wikipedia
- 03Tesla AI Day 2022Tesla (YouTube) · 2022-09-30
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