Tesla suspends mass production of Optimus robots due to design issues

Tesla has temporarily halted mass production of its humanoid robot Optimus due to difficulties with the design of the hands. According to The Information, engineers cannot achieve the necessary flexibility and similarity to human hands, which forced the company to adjust plans.

According to insiders, Tesla has already accumulated dozens of Optimus bodies without arms and forearms in its warehouses, and it is currently unknown when this work will be completed. Elon Musk confirmed the problem, but did not provide a specific launch date.

The first difficulties were identified in the summer of 2024, after which the company significantly reduced its initial production goals. Initially, Tesla planned to produce at least 5,000 robots by the end of 2025, but engineers said that the task was unrealistic. After internal resistance, the plan was reduced to 2,000 units.

Despite the delays, Musk remains optimistic. He notes that creating hands with human-like dexterity is the most difficult part of the development. He recently shared a video of Optimus learning kung fu, and the official Tesla account showed the robot repeating movements with actor Jared Leto at the premiere of the film Tron: Ares.

Optimus was unveiled in August 2021 as a versatile bipedal robot capable of performing tasks that would be dangerous or tiring for humans. However, some former project participants have questioned its suitability for use in warehouses or manufacturing. Despite this, Musk sees Optimus as a key project for Tesla for the future.

By the way, this is not the first stoppage of Optimus production. In July of this year, the company put production on pause due to the dismissal of Milan Kovac, the senior vice president who led the program.