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.
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
- In pilots
- Category
- general purpose
- First revealed
- 12 December 2023
- Form
- bipedal
- Height
- 173 cm
- Weight
- n/a
- Payload
- n/a
- Degrees of freedom
- n/a
- Battery
- n/a
- Runtime
- n/a
- Walking speed
- n/a
- Actuation
- electric, Tesla-designed actuators and sensors, 2 DoF actuated neck, foot force and torque sensing
- Units deployed (est.)
- not disclosed
- Teleoperation
- yes
Where it stands
Used in small numbers inside Tesla factories and at Tesla events (We Robot 2024, Tesla Diner 2025); not for sale.
What stands out
- 10 kg lighter and 30 percent faster walking than Gen 1
- 11 DoF hands with tactile sensing
- Teleoperated at We Robot event, October 2024
- Served popcorn at Tesla Diner, Los Angeles, July 2025
Autonomy, observed
Tesla videos show battery cell sorting in a Tesla factory (2024) and walking on uneven ground; independent confirmation of autonomous production work is limited.
Units at the We Robot event on 10 October 2024 were confirmed by Tesla staff to be remotely assisted by humans.
Hands, sensors, brain
- Hands: five-finger, 11 DoF, tactile sensing on all fingers
- Sensors: cameras, foot force/torque sensors, tactile fingertips
- Compute: Tesla FSD-derived computer
- AI stack: Tesla end-to-end neural networks trained partly from human video and teleoperation
Price and volume
no public price
Musk said in 2024 that Tesla expected to have over 1,000 units working in its factories in 2025; no confirmed count.
Index position
In the Humanoid Index, which ranks on shipped reality rather than value for money, Optimus Gen 2 sits at #78 of 107 with 28 points: deployment 20/50, autonomy 8/30, availability 0/20. See that method.
Where Optimus Gen 2 works.
| Customer | Site | Sector | Task | Since | Status | Units | Autonomy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Diner | Tesla Diner, Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, United States | hospitality | Serving popcorn to visitors at the opening of the Tesla Diner | Jul 2025 | unclear | 1 | unknown |
| Tesla (internal) | Tesla Fremont factory, California, and Gigafactory Texas, United States | automotive | Battery cell handling and sorting, moving parts; internal testing | May 2024 | active | n/d | mixed |
Milestones.
Tesla shareholders approve a pay package tied to one million Optimus robots
Tesla shareholders approve Elon Musk's compensation plan with milestones that include delivering one million Optimus robots. Musk tells the meeting that Optimus could be the biggest product in history and shows V3 renderings.
Optimus program head Milan Kovac leaves Tesla
Milan Kovac, who led the Optimus program from its start, resigns citing family reasons. Ashok Elluswamy, head of Autopilot, takes over the program.
Optimus serves drinks at Tesla's We, Robot event, later confirmed as teleoperated
Tesla shows Optimus robots walking among guests, pouring drinks and playing games at the Cybercab reveal in Los Angeles. Attendees and reporters establish that the robots were remotely controlled by humans, prompting a debate about teleoperation disclosure.
Tesla reveals Optimus Gen 2
Optimus Gen 2 is 10 kg lighter, walks 30 percent faster, has tactile sensing in all fingers and Tesla designed actuators. The video of it handling eggs marks the point where Optimus becomes a credible engineering program.
Tesla shows the first Optimus prototype (Bumblebee) walking
At AI Day 2022 a development prototype nicknamed Bumblebee walks on stage untethered for the first time, and a second, sleeker Optimus body is carried out. Musk says the target price is under 20,000 dollars.
Tesla announces the Tesla Bot (Optimus)
At Tesla AI Day, Elon Musk announces a 173 cm, 57 kg general purpose humanoid based on Tesla's vehicle autonomy stack, presented on stage by a dancer in a suit. The announcement triggers the current wave of general purpose humanoid startups.
How a humanoid robot works: actuators, compute, sensors and the model
Of 182 humanoids on record, 178 say what moves the joints and 43 say what computer is inside. The further a layer sits from the metal, the less the maker tells you about it.
How long does a humanoid robot actually run
22 of 182 humanoids on record quote a runtime. The claims run from 1 to 8 hours with a median of 4, and of the 44 machines you can order, 4 say anything at all.
Startups, automakers, universities: who builds humanoids
108 makers, nine kinds. Startups hold 37 of the 44 humanoids you can order. Automakers, universities, big tech, conglomerates and NASA hold 45 robots between them and sell none of them.
A short history of the humanoid, from Elektro to the order button
Our record holds 111 dated milestones since 1939. Sixty-eight of them are from this decade, and what changed was not the walking. It was the price tag.
China builds, America demos: what 108 makers tell you
Chinese makers account for 65 of the 182 humanoids in our record and 31 of the 44 you can order. American makers hold the money, the research and most of the autonomy claims, and sell you almost nothing.
Humanoid robot stocks: which of the 108 makers are actually listed
Twenty of the 108 makers in our record have a ticker. Four of them will sell you a humanoid. The rest build cars, chips, servers and washing machines, and the pure plays are all private.
Other robots by Tesla.
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.
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 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
- 01Optimus - Gen 2Tesla (YouTube) · 2023-12-12
- 02
- 03Optimus (robot)Wikipedia
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