DEPLOY

Buying guide

Tesla Optimus

By Tesla · humanoid

Price
$20,000-$30,000· manufacturer target
Availability
Announced, no delivery date.
Maturity
research
Real-world use
Yes, 6 verified deployments

Each clip and image on this page carries a provenance label. About our media provenance →

Tesla Optimus is the canonical example of the verified-vs-claimed gap in commercial humanoid robotics. Tesla has shown Optimus in choreographed demos, internal-facility deployment, and consumer-marketing contexts, but no verified third-party customer deployments and no shipped consumer units exist as of 2026. The price ($20,000 to $30,000) is a manufacturer target contingent on high-volume production that has not yet begun. Optimus units inside Tesla facilities count as manufacturer pilot, not commercial deployment under DEPLOY's maker-facility rule.

Readiness

Tesla Optimus is announced, no delivery date at $20,000-$30,000 (manufacturer target), the 2 capability claims on file are mixed autonomy with teleoperated in demo, 6 verified deployments are on file, and 66 incidents are on record.

Availability
announced-no-date

Announced, no delivery date.

see evidence →

Price honesty
manufacturer-target

One price on file: $20,000-$30,000 (manufacturer target).

see evidence →

Capability honesty
teleoperated-assisted

2 reviewed claims, mixed: 1 teleoperated-assisted, 1 demo-only.

see evidence →

Real-world use
research

Maturity: research. 6 verified deployments in the registry.

see evidence →

Safety record
incidents-on-file

66 incidents on record across 6 verified deployments.

see evidence →

What it claims to do

  • Folds laundryteleoperated-assisted· teleoperated in demoevidence ↗
  • Tidies a roomdemo-only· demonstrated onceevidence ↗

Price

Real-world use

Safety record

Privacy

No privacy practices disclosed or on file for Tesla Optimus.

Specs

dof
28 body DOF plus 11 per hand (Gen 2)
hands
11-DOF cable-driven hands with fingertip tactile sensing (Gen 2)
notes
  • Concept announced: Tesla AI Day, August 2021 (concept only, no hardware; represented by a person in a suit).
  • First prototypes: Tesla AI Day, September 30, 2022: the Bumble-C prototype walked untethered; a sleeker Optimus unit using Tesla components was shown but could not yet walk unaided.
  • Optimus Gen 2: December 2023: Tesla-designed actuators and sensors, about 30 percent faster walking, roughly 10 kg lighter, 11-DOF hands with fingertip tactile sensing, a 2-DOF actuated neck, and balance/squat demos. This is the primary demonstrated-hardware artifact.
  • We Robot demo (teleoperation): October 10, 2024: Optimus units appeared to converse and serve drinks; Bloomberg and TechCrunch reported the interactions were human-teleoperated, with only walking AI-driven. Tesla did not disclose the remote assistance beforehand.
  • Factory work: claimed vs admitted: Tesla claimed internal factory testing (2024 to 2025). On the Q4 2025 earnings call (January 2026), Elon Musk acknowledged Optimus is not in material use in Tesla factories and remains in the research-and-development phase.
  • V3 / production design: The production-design V3 reveal slipped repeatedly (to mid-2026 as of the April 2026 call); Musk declined a 2026 volume target. An earlier claim of about 5,000 units in 2025 was reportedly missed (a few hundred built).
  • External commercial sale: No verified external commercial sale as of mid-2026. Tesla's stated goal is for Optimus to be useful outside Tesla around 2027.
  • Price (claimed): Musk projects roughly $20,000 to $30,000 at scale (sub-$20,000 only above 1 million units per year). A projection, not a realized price.
  • Supply constraint: On the Q1 2025 call, Musk attributed Optimus production impact to China's rare-earth magnet export restrictions.
  • Leadership: Optimus program VP Milan Kovac departed June 2025; Ashok Elluswamy (Autopilot/AI) took over leadership.
  • AI stack: Shares perception and compute approach with Tesla Full Self-Driving (registry brain: tesla-fsd-bot).
height
approx 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
weight
approx 57 to 73 kg depending on generation; Gen 2 reduced about 10 kg vs Gen 1
battery
2.3 kWh, 52 V (Gen 1 published spec)
compute
Tesla FSD computer; neural networks trained on Tesla's AI infrastructure; perception/compute approach shared with Tesla Full Self-Driving
actuators
6 Tesla-designed actuator types (3 rotary harmonic-drive, 3 linear roller-screw)
ai_system
Tesla FSD computer; neural networks trained on Tesla's AI infrastructure; perception/compute approach shared with Tesla Full Self-Driving
height_cm
173
weight_kg
57 to 73
formFactor
humanoid (general-purpose bipedal)
payload_kg
20
battery_kwh
2.3
degreesOfFreedom
approx 28 body DOF plus 11 per hand (Gen 2); a 22-DOF hand is claimed for the V3 production design

What's under the hood

Frequently asked questions

Is the Tesla Optimus actually available for purchase?
Announced but not yet available.Source: Tesla — Optimus
What does the Tesla Optimus cost?
Tesla Optimus costs $20,000-$30,000 one-time (manufacturer target).Source: Tesla We Robot official event page
Does the Tesla Optimus really fold your laundry?
Does the Tesla Optimus really tidy your room?
Where is the Tesla Optimus being used?
Tesla Optimus is in use at: Giga Texas, Austin, USA operated by Tesla (2026-01-01), South Korea operated by Tesla (2025-06-01), Austin operated by Tesla (2025-01-01), Fremont operated by Tesla (2024-09-01), and Austin, Texas, USA (Gigafactory Texas) operated by Tesla (2024-06-01), plus 1 more.Source: Tesla Optimus Factory Deployment: 2025-2026 Status
What's the Tesla Optimus running on?
Tesla Optimus runs a multi-brain stack: Tesla FSD-Bot (foundation-model, pilot maturity) and Grok (xAI) (foundation-model, pilot maturity).
Is the Tesla Optimus safe?
Incidents on record: 66 (14 regulatory_action, 2 other, 33 collision, 9 fatality, 4 injury, 4 recall). See NHTSA opens probe into 1.2 million Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles over front suspension failures.Source: NHTSA opens probe into 1.2 million Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles over front suspension failures
How does the Tesla Optimus handle privacy?
No privacy practices disclosed or on file for Tesla Optimus.
Who makes the Tesla Optimus?
Tesla Optimus is made by Tesla, based in Austin, Texas, USA.Source: Tesla — Optimus

Gallery

Walking & balance

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Production-design Tesla Optimus climbing factory stairs, demonstrating locomotion on non-flat terrain.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla Optimus (Gen 2) walking through a Tesla garage past two Cybertrucks, captioned '30% walk speed boost'.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Production-design Tesla Optimus navigating past a human worker at a battery-cell station on a Tesla factory floor.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla Optimus environment-mapping visualization paired with factory-floor walking clips, from Tesla's 'Optimus Navigating Around' video.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Production-design Tesla Optimus carrying a red bin of parts through a Tesla factory, labelled 'AUTONOMOUS 2X'.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Two production-design Tesla Optimus robots walking a lit path at night at Tesla's We, Robot event, among a crowd of attendees with a Tesla staffer alongside.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Close view of Tesla Optimus (Gen 2) feet and lower legs mid-step, illustrating foot force/torque sensing and articulated toe sections.

Manipulation

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla Optimus reaching an open hand toward blocks on the sorting table during the autonomous colour-sorting demo.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

An early Tesla Optimus development unit at a lab workbench with metal bins and machined parts, from Tesla's May 2023 'Tesla Bot Update'.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Production-design Tesla Optimus carrying a red bin of parts through a Tesla factory, labelled 'AUTONOMOUS 2X'.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla Optimus, internals exposed, working at the colour-sorting table during Tesla's 'Sort & Stretch' update while a person stands alongside.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Production-design Tesla Optimus beside a red tray of cylindrical battery cells on a factory line, shown alongside an 'AUTONOMOUS 2X' close view of the same tray being handled.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla Optimus (Gen 2) holding an egg with one hand over an egg cooker while an on-screen overlay shows fingertip tactile-sensor readings for delicate-object manipulation.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla Optimus, with its arm and torso internals exposed, sorting coloured toy blocks into trays during Tesla's 'Sort & Stretch' Optimus update.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla Optimus holding a small glass in each hand at an outdoor evening gathering, extending one toward a seated person at a low table, with other people nearby and a lit house behind.

Factory & industrial

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Production-design Tesla Optimus climbing factory stairs, demonstrating locomotion on non-flat terrain.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Production-design Tesla Optimus navigating past a human worker at a battery-cell station on a Tesla factory floor.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla Optimus environment-mapping visualization paired with factory-floor walking clips, from Tesla's 'Optimus Navigating Around' video.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Production-design Tesla Optimus carrying a red bin of parts through a Tesla factory, labelled 'AUTONOMOUS 2X'.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Production-design Tesla Optimus beside a red tray of cylindrical battery cells on a factory line, shown alongside an 'AUTONOMOUS 2X' close view of the same tray being handled.

Working with people

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Production-design Tesla Optimus navigating past a human worker at a battery-cell station on a Tesla factory floor.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla Optimus, internals exposed, working at the colour-sorting table during Tesla's 'Sort & Stretch' update while a person stands alongside.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Two production-design Tesla Optimus robots walking a lit path at night at Tesla's We, Robot event, among a crowd of attendees with a Tesla staffer alongside.

Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla Optimus holding a small glass in each hand at an outdoor evening gathering, extending one toward a seated person at a low table, with other people nearby and a lit house behind.

Video

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla Optimus walking and navigating around obstacles on a Tesla factory floor. Tesla describes the navigation as performed autonomously.

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Tesla's official Optimus Gen 2 unveiling video. Demonstrated autonomy level not explicitly disclosed by Tesla; tagged claimed-only.

Manufacturer

Tesla (registry record: /companies/tesla)

Compare side by side

Sources

  1. Tesla — Optimus · https://www.tesla.com/we-robot
  2. Optimus (robot) — Wikipedia · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optimus_(robot)
  3. Musk: zero Optimus doing useful work (Jan 2026); Fremont line conversion · https://electrek.co/2026/04/22/tesla-optimus-production-fremont-model-sx-line/ · 2026-04-22
  4. For Better or Worse, Tesla Bot Is Exactly What We Expected (AI Day 2022 specs) · https://spectrum.ieee.org/tesla-optimus-robot
  5. Tesla robot slowly walks on stage at AI Day (Sept 30, 2022) · https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/30/business/tesla-bot-robot
  6. Tesla humanoid robot prototype walks onto the stage at AI Day 2022 · https://insideevs.com/news/613692/tesla-humanoid-robot-ai-day-2022/
  7. Optimus - Gen 2 (official Tesla reveal, Dec 2023) · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpraXaw7dyc
  8. Tesla unveils Optimus Gen 2: next-generation humanoid robot · https://electrek.co/2023/12/12/tesla-unveils-optimus-gen-2-next-generation-humanoid-robot/
  9. What Robotics Experts Think of Tesla's Optimus Robot (tech-stack breakdown) · https://spectrum.ieee.org/robotics-experts-tesla-bot-optimus
  10. Tesla DEFA14A (FY2025 proxy filing; Optimus production framing) · https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0001318605/000110465925101876/tm252289d41_defa14a.htm
  11. Tesla's Optimus robots were remotely operated at Cybercab event (We Robot teleoperation) · https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-14/tesla-s-optimus-robots-were-remotely-operated-at-cybercab-event
  12. Tesla Optimus bots were controlled by humans during the We Robot event · https://techcrunch.com/2024/10/14/tesla-optimus-bots-were-controlled-by-humans-during-the-we-robot-event/
  13. Optimus stole the show at the robotaxi unveil, but the AI was teleoperated · https://fortune.com/2024/10/13/elon-musk-tesla-optimus-robot-tele-operated-robotaxi/
  14. Musk admits no Optimus robots are doing useful work at Tesla (Q4 2025 call, Jan 2026) · https://electrek.co/2026/01/28/musk-admits-no-optimus-robots-are-doing-useful-work-at-tesla-after-claiming-otherwise/
  15. Tesla's Optimus hit by China's rare-earth restrictions, says Musk (Q1 2025 call) · https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/23/teslas-optimus-hit-by-chinas-rare-earth-restrictions-says-musk.html
  16. Milan Kovac, head of Tesla's Optimus program, is leaving (June 2025) · https://fortune.com/2025/06/09/milan-kovac-tesla-optimus/
  17. Tesla Optimus robotics VP Milan Kovac is leaving the company · https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/06/tesla-optimus-robotics-vp-is-leaving-the-company.html
  18. Waymo halts freeway rides after robotaxis struggle in construction zones · https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/21/waymo-halts-freeway-rides-after-robotaxis-struggle-in-construction-zones/ · 2026-05-21T22:15:00.000Z
  19. Tesla robotaxi Austin launch, expansion plans, NHTSA erratic-driving inquiry · https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tesla-robotaxi-austin-14-crashes-nhtsa/ · 2026-02-17
  20. Tesla's two teleoperator-caused robotaxi crashes; 17 NHTSA incidents unredacted · https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/15/tesla-reveals-two-robotaxi-crashes-involving-teleoperators/ · 2026-05-15
  21. Tesla robotaxi active fleet shrinking (34 total/20 unsupervised, May 2026); safety bottleneck · https://electrek.co/2026/05/26/tesla-robotaxi-fleet-shrinking-not-growing/ · 2026-05-26
  22. Tesla robotaxi Dallas/Houston launch; fleet ~80 Austin; transparency/redaction record · https://electrek.co/2026/04/18/tesla-robotaxi-launches-dallas-houston-small-geofences/ · 2026-04-18
  23. Waymo dominates autonomous vehicle registrations as Tesla trails behind · https://techcrunch.com/2026/05/28/waymo-dominates-texas-autonomous-vehicle-registrations-as-tesla-trails-behind/ · 2026-05-29T00:14:35.000Z
  24. CPUC — passenger-transportation / AV program permits. Tesla holds a TCP (charter-party) permit for the CA Bay Area ride-hailing service; ~1,655 vehicles registered per CPUC TCP filings (reported late May 2026). · https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/regulatory-services/licensing/transportation-licensing-and-analysis-branch/autonomous-vehicle-programs/autonomous-vehicle-program-permits-issued
  25. Tesla's Texas robotaxi fleet is 42 vehicles (official TX DMV registration), dwarfed by Waymo's (May 28 2026) · https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-05-28/tesla-reveals-its-texas-robotaxi-fleet-is-dwarfed-by-waymo-s
  26. TechCrunch: Optimus folds laundry in a pre-scripted demo · https://techcrunch.com/2024/01/15/elons-tesla-robot-is-sort-of-ok-at-folding-laundry-in-pre-scripted-demo/ · 2024-01-15
  27. New Atlas: Musk confirms the Optimus shirt-fold was teleoperated, not autonomous · https://newatlas.com/robotics/tesla-optimus-folds-shirt/ · 2024-01-15
  28. Teslarati: Tesla posts Optimus demo (sweeping, vacuuming, trash), claimed single-neural-net autonomy (May 21, 2025) · https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-optimus-most-impressive-demonstration-video/ · 2025-05-21
  29. Interesting Engineering: Optimus demos operate only in structured, lightly staged settings; no robust unstructured autonomy · https://interestingengineering.com/culture/can-optimus-make-america-win · 2025-05-21
  30. Frame captured at t=30s from the official Tesla-published video "Tesla Bot Update | Sort & Stretch" (Tesla official YouTube channel, published 2023-09-25, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2vj0WcvH5c). Screenshot of Tesla-published footage used editorially; served from DEPLOY blob storage, not hotlinked. · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2vj0WcvH5c · 2023-09-25
  31. Frame captured at t=55s from the official Tesla-published video "Optimus Navigating Around | Tesla" (Tesla official YouTube channel, published 2024-10-18, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrNcXgoFv20). Screenshot of Tesla-published footage used editorially; served from DEPLOY blob storage, not hotlinked. · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrNcXgoFv20 · 2024-10-18
  32. Frame captured at t=50s from the official Tesla-published video "Tesla Bot Update" (Tesla official YouTube channel, published 2023-05-16, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiQkeWOFwmk). Screenshot of Tesla-published footage used editorially; served from DEPLOY blob storage, not hotlinked. · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XiQkeWOFwmk · 2023-05-16
  33. Frame captured at t=70s from the official Tesla-published video "We, Robot Recap" (Tesla official YouTube channel, published 2024-10-30, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTrebszENNw). Screenshot of Tesla-published footage used editorially; served from DEPLOY blob storage, not hotlinked. · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTrebszENNw · 2024-10-30
  34. Captured via screenshot from tesla.com/tesla-gallery 2026-05-30. Tesla's gallery uses anti-hotlinking protection that prevents direct CDN download; screenshots preserve original Tesla-published image content at native display resolution. Original Cloudinary CDN URLs not extracted; v1 captures await DevTools-based provenance upgrade when accessible. · https://www.tesla.com/tesla-gallery · 2026-05-30
  35. Tesla Optimus Factory Deployment: 2025-2026 Status · https://optimusk.blog/blog/tesla-optimus-factory-deployment/
  36. Fear of humanoid robots spurs human workers to strike at Hyundai auto factory · https://arstechnica.com/2026/07/16/hyundai-humanoid-strike
  37. Tesla AI and Optimus page · https://www.tesla.com/AI
  38. From EVs to Robotics: Tesla Targets 10M Optimus Units with New Texas Plant · https://www.therobotreport.com/from-evs-to-robotics-tesla-targets-10m-optimus-units-with-new-texas-plant/
  39. Tesla Optimus at Fremont: Gen 3 Humanoid Deployment & Mass Production · https://ifactoryapp.com/industries/automotive-manufacturing/tesla-optimus-fremont-gen-3-humanoid-2026

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