Elon Musk shares video of Tesla humanoid Robot Optimus demonstrating new capability – Folding Shirts

Elon Musk has shared a video post on X that shows the Optimus Gen 2 humanoid robot performing a brand-new skill that it acquired –– shirt folding. This is the same robot that Musk unveiled in December 2023.

On Tuesday morning, Elon Musk shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) showing off a brand new capability that the Tesla humanoid robot Optimus has just acquired. The robot –– and you would be very surprised to know (or maybe not) –– can now fold shirts, independently! Is that a robot butler in the making?

In the video shared by Musk, the Optimus robot can be seen retrieving a black shirt from a basket please next to it on a table. It then goes on to fold it. The video is titled “Optimus Folds a Shirt”. See below!

The tweet by Elon Musk reads, “Important note: Optimus cannot yet do this autonomously, but certainly will be able to do this fully autonomously and in an arbitrary environment (won’t require a fixed table with the box that has only one shirt)”.

This comes just months after Musk shared another post where the Optimus humanoid robot could be seen walking, dancing, and boiling eggs.

Musk unveiled the Optimus Gen 2 in December 2023. The second iteration of the humanoid robot can do much more than just walk and talk, which was pretty much all the first version could do. The new version of the robot has increased walking speed, improved hand movements, tactile sensing on its fingers, and various other enhancements.

The conceptual humanoid robot developed by Tesla, known as Tesla Optimus or Tesla Bot, was first introduced during the company’s AI Day event in 2021. This robot is designed to be a versatile, general-purpose machine capable of undertaking various tasks, especially those deemed unsafe, repetitive, or tedious for humans.

As of now, Optimus is still in the development phase, and Tesla has been periodically providing updates to highlight its advancements. The latest update, referred to as Gen 2, showcases the most recent developments in the robot’s evolution.

In 2022, Tesla revealed a prototype capable of walking and executing basic tasks such as object retrieval. At that time, Tesla CEO Elon Musk mentioned that it was the inaugural demonstration of the robot operating without a tether during an onstage presentation. Videos showcased the robot successfully picking up objects and watering plants. Musk emphasized the precautionary measures taken to prevent any mishaps, stating, “We didn’t want it to fall on its face.”

Source: India Today