Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the latest version of its humanoid robot – Optimus at the “We, Robot” event in California last week. At the event, the robots showcased their ability to serve drinks, dance, sing birthday song and even play rock paper scissors with the attendees. But what many viewers assumed to be cutting-edge AI-powered machines turned out to be something entirely different.One of the attendees – Robert Scoble @Scobleizer posted on microblogging site X (formerly Twitter) stating that the robots were remote controlled by ‘humans’.
In one of the posts, he wrote “Optimus make me a drink, please. This is not wholly AI. A human is remote assisting. Which means AI day next year where we will see how fast Optimus is learning.” He also shared a video of the robot serving drinks, and chatting with the guests at the event.
He later clarified that an engineer had told him the robots used AI to walk. He wrote “I talked with an engineer. When it walked that is AI running Optimus. It is real impressive they brought so many out in crowds at @tesla’s event.”
In another video, one of the robots confirms that it is assisted by a human, adding that it’s not fully autonomous. When asked by a guest if it is remotely controlled, the robot replies ““Today, I am assisted by a human”, adding “I am not yet fully autonomous”.
Check the video here
During the event, Musk said that Optimus could be priced between $20,000 (approx. Rs 16,81,404) to $30,000, making it potentially accessible to a broad consumer market. “I think everyone among the 8 billion people on Earth will want an Optimus buddy,” he claimed, highlighting the robot’s potential for widespread adoption.