Tesla's Optimus Stuns With Yoga Moves, But Elon Musk Plans A 'Pause' Button For Robot Rebellion

Tesla Inc.’s TSLA humanoid robot Optimus has showcased remarkable yoga abilities in a recent video release, but Elon Musk has outlined the need for a practical safety plan to halt the robot in the event of a potential uprising.

What Happened: Tesla’s Optimus impressed netizens with its impressive yoga skills and autonomous object-sorting capabilities. 

The video posted by Tesla Optimus’ official X, formerly Twitter account, showcased the robot’s adaptability and precision as it seamlessly transitioned from sorting objects to performing yoga poses while maintaining its balance and flexibility. 

The company also highlighted the integration of Optimus into Tesla’s end-to-end neural network, the same one used by its cars for video processing and control output generation. 

However, as with any advanced technology, safety concerns were also mentioned by X users. 

One user directed the attention toward the existence of a “red button” behind Optimus’s neck as a safety measure against potential world domination scenarios. 

In response, Musk assured that Tesla would prioritize safety and make it easy to pause Optimus using a remote or a phone, with no centralized override.

See Also: Elon Musk Asks Mosaic Browser Creator, ‘How Many Years … Before AI Kills Us All?’

Why It’s Important: Tesla unveiled its humanoid robot, Optimus, approximately two years ago and has reportedly produced about ten units.

During the company’s second-quarter earnings call in the prior month, Musk said that the initial Optimus robot equipped with all Tesla-designed actuators and capable of walking is slated for completion around November.

While it is not clear when Optimus will be ready for production or commercial use, the CEO is “pretty confident” that the bots will be able to do something worthwhile in Tesla factories sometime next year. 

Photo by JWCohen on Shutterstock

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