Checking in on Tesla's Optimus Robot

Checking in on Tesla's Optimus Robot - Managing Expectations

Last year Elon Musk announced at the first Tesla AI day the Tesla Bot, which has since been renamed the Tesla Optimus, that is basically a general purpose humanoid robot assistant with human like appearance and proportions. Elon expected they would have a working prototype by the end of 2022.

While very little has been released about the project since, in June Elon took to Twitter to announce that they would delay this year's Tesla AI day until September 30 in anticipation of having a working prototype of the robot by that time.

Elon Musk announces the Tesla Bot at the 2021 Tesla AI day.

When I initially wrote about the Tesla Bot I noted that both Boston Dynamics and Disney Imagineering are developing robot technologies that demonstrate a streamlined, humanoid robot like Optimus is certainly possible.

However with precious few details, and the occasional appearance of static, concept manikins of Tesla Optimus bots at places like the Cyber Rodeo Gigafactory Austin, Texas (see video below), one can only speculate what to expect on September 30th.

With not really much to report I thought I'd see what an AI could cobble together in the way of a blog post about Tesla Optimus.

Jasper A.I. is a web application that is being used to generate all kinds of written content right now, including blog posts.

Just enter a title, a brief description of what the article should be about, a style, and some keywords, and Jasper can put together an article in seconds. Below is (word for word with no edits by me) what it came up with when I entered the same title as this blog post and described my article as; Writing an update on any recent information about the Tesla Optimus Robot in a semi serious style.

Bonus AI generated images by CrAIyon.
Tesla's Optimus Robot has been the talk of the tech world ever since it was first announced. And with good reason - the potential for this bot to revolutionize home automation is huge.
However, Tesla has been pretty quiet on the Optimus front lately. Some early adopters were disappointed when Tesla failed to deliver on its promise to release the bot in late 2019.
Tesla has since said that the Optimus is still in development and that they are taking their time to make sure it is perfect before release. This is understandable, but it does mean that we are still in limbo as far as an official release date goes.
In the meantime, there have been some interesting rumors and bits of news about the Tesla Optimus Robot. Here's a rundown of the latest:
The Tesla Optimus is rumored to be able to do some pretty amazing things. One of these is its ability to track objects and people around your home. This would be a huge help if you want to keep an eye on your kids or pets while you're away.
Another rumor is that the Tesla Optimus will be able to self-charge. This would be a huge advantage over other robots on the market, as you wouldn't have to worry about plugging it in or running out of power.
The Tesla Optimus is also rumored to be waterproof. This would be an incredible feat, as most robots are not able to withstand even a little bit of water.
At this point, however, these are just rumors. Tesla has not released any official information about the Tesla Optimus. As such, it's important to manage your expectations. Tesla may or may not release a robot that can do all of these things. But if they do, it will surely be a game-changer.

As far as articles goes it's certainly passable to the casual reader, and I would've saved at least a couple of hours writing this if I only published Jasper's effort.

The trouble is, I don't know if any of it is true? At least one fact is completely wrong... i.e. the Tesla Bot wasn't even a thing in 2019 so how could Tesla fail to deliver on any promises if they haven't even made them yet, and who are those early adopters? Chances are Jasper maybe got confused with Tesla vehicles on this info.

I'm not entirely sure where all the rumors come from either but they do sound plausible. One assumes Jasper simply trawled the internet for these things so maybe they do relate to the Tesla Bot?

Aside from that, it's not a bad effort. I could probably have edited in some real rumors and facts from known sources and still saved myself more than an hour writing.

Anyway, there's not really anything new to report on Tesla Optimus. I guess we'll just have to wait until September 30, AI day. In the meantime, it may be wise to manage expectations. We will only be seeing a prototype after all.

It's likely the first prototype Tesla Optimus won't
deliver on what was promised.

Skateboard Trick Tips: Two Ways to Ollie North (Ollie One foot)

You have to be quick to see my Ollie Norths! Ollie One Foots, otherwise known as the Ollie North, is one of those skateboard tricks you learn and then tend not to do very much as more interesting trick challenges grab your attention. However it does look really cool if you learn how to kick your front foot well past the nose of your skateboard. Still shot from Braille Skateboarding's Ollie North tutorial. I was inspired to make my video below, showing two different techniques to achieve a successful Ollie One Foot, when I not only saw that Braille Skateboarding's Tutorial used a different method to the one I had learned but also, when I looked at various other video tutorials, I discovered yet another technique, with no one using the method I had originally learned. Braille's method is to simply Ollie and drag your front foot past the front of your board. The second method I came across in several video tutorials is to Ollie, drag your front foot and tap your

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de

Course Review: YouTube for Bosses - Sunny Lenarduzzi. How to grow your YouTube Channel into a Business

YouTube for Bosses Free Mug... or the most expensive mug you'll ever buy? I've been subscribed to Sunny Lenarduzzi's YouTube channel for a few years, learning a lot on how to grow a following on sites like YouTube and Instagram. If you have any interest in growing your own YouTube channel I'd highly recommend watching some of Sunny's videos on the subject. Definitely explore her 2019 back catalogue for the most useful information. This year she's been on a bit of a 'being authentic' pivot that, personally, doesn't resonate all that much with me (but probably speaks volumes to anyone with similar experience). I'm not saying she shouldn't or isn't being authentic, it's just I didn't subscribe to hear stories about her life journey. To get back on track, Sunny runs a successful online business with her flagship course, YouTube for Bosses , a stand alone paid course that does act as something of a gateway to further paid (but opt

Embarrassing Yourself with Doof Doof Music

Ever since Spinal Tap popularized the notion of turning an amp up to eleven audio systems have been rising to the challenge of louder, more awesome sound. In particular, car audio systems have embraced the notion of the bigger the noise the better the sound must surely be. What I'd like to know is, if these sound systems are so good, why do they make all music sound the same... Doof, Doof, Doof? You've all heard them. Pimped up cars, with audio systems seemingly worth more than gold, volume blasting way past eleven. Sound waves booming long before you make a positive visual on the car... Doof, Doof, Doof. It has to be the audio system right? Surely all these people can't be playing the same tune? Doof, Doof, Doof. Could it be that the more money spent on a car sound system the less musical range it will actually play? Maybe these people can't afford to buy music after purchasing the audio system so they all play the same demo track? Doof, doof, doof. In my own car I hav

One Week on Light n' Easy #lightneasy

My partner, Enigma, and I recently decided to try Light n' Easy to replace all our daily meals in an effort to eat healthier (and not have to think at all about cooking evening meals). Enigma is about to embark on her third week of their full menu but I caved after one and opted just to get the dinners.

The Braille Skateboarding App - How it Changed My Mind on Switch Skating

My Profile on the Braille Skateboarding App. Braille Skateboarding launched it's new Skateboarding App worldwide on November 23rd, 2020. About a month prior to that they did a 'soft launch' via email for anyone living in Australia. I'm guessing this was to give the app a final test in the real world before launching it proper. Rather than explain what it is, watch Aaron Kyro, founder of Braille Skateboarding, run you through the app in the launch video below. In a nutshell the app is virtually everything Braille has to offer accessed right from your phone, from tutorials to the Braille Army Community. The app is free but you can unlock more features if you upgrade to a paid membership. Braille App Trick List. One of the apps unique free features is keeping track of the tricks you've learned and giving you an overall score so you have some way to measure your progression. There is an extensive list of tricks, covering all types of skateboarding, categorized by diff

The Lego Man - He's got all that!

Who would have thought that owning one of the worlds largest, private Lego collections could take you so far. Tom Lucieer of Angaston, South Australia, not only has met the Queen (of England) but is a frequent guest of her majesty and family when they are in Australia. He's also met Prince Charles, Lady Diana and Camila Parker-Bowles. Not only that, he grew up with TV Vet, Dr Harry, and is a friend of the Irwin family (yes, that's Steve Irwin's family). Tom will happily tell you all this as part of the guided tour of his collection, which, aside from Lego, includes much railway memorabilia and colourful anecdotes about days gone by, his achievements and more. Frequently he will finish each particular monologue with the phrase, "Have you got that?", just to check that he hasn't confused you because, as he points out, his display and the stories behind it are a lot to take in at once. In the photo you can see Tom holding a special award, which I think is for bei

TET.Life (The Extraordinary Tourist Life)

Search This Blog