Tesla's Optimus robot collapses at Miami event, raising questions about true autonomy

Elon Musk's Optimus Robot Collapses in a Hilariously Suspicious Way

Tesla held a special pop-up event over the weekend for Art Basel Miami Beach, the international art fair in Florida. The pop-up was dubbed “The Future of Autonomy Visualized" and reportedly featured Elon Musk's Cybercab prototype and Optimus robots. But a video from the event is going viral for all the wrong reasons. And it's pretty hilarious. The video, which appears to have first been posted to r/teslamotors on Reddit, shows an Optimus robot knock over several bottles of water on a table before lifting its arms into the air. The arms move in ways that would be consistent with taking off a VR headset, and then they fall heavily, with one hitting a water on the table that seems to explode and shoot water everywhere. After that, Optimus appears to go lifeless and falls backward. The video is just five seconds long, but it tells quite a funny story in that short burst of time. What's happening here? Many people online speculate that an unseen person was controlling the Optimus robot, and that person took off their headset before disconnecting. And that seems to be the most likely explanation. This kind of robotic control is called teleoperation, and it has been in existence since at least the 1940s. Sometimes called a waldo, Walt Disney showed off how he made the 1964 New York World's Fair attraction Carousel of Progress with a similar technology. Disney and his engineers didn't have VR headsets, of course, but the basic idea is the same. Someone who can't be seen by the intended audience is manipulating controls that actually move the robot in real time. This new viral video from Art Basel isn't the first time Musk has been caught stretching the truth about his Optimus robot's capabilities. Back in January 2024, Musk posted a video showing Optimus folding a shirt. Musk's legion of fans on X celebrated the achievement, since folding laundry is both a practical application of humanoid robotics that people have been wanting for decades, as well as a maneuver that's hard for humanoid robots to do well. But it turned out Musk wasn't being very transparent when he initially posted the video. Some eagle-eyed social media users started asking why we could see what appeared to be a hand coming briefly into frame in the lower-right corner. The hand seemed to match up perfectly with what Optimus was doing. That was almost two years ago, and there have been other examples from Musk's Optimus hype machine. For example, Musk hosted an event in Los Angeles in October 2024, announcing his Cybercab concept car that he promised was just 2-3 years away. After the event, there was a party featuring Optimus robots that were pouring beers and handing them out to guests. Guests were impressed until tech evangelist Robert Scoble started asking some questions. Scoble was told that the robots were teleoperated. The Tesla Diner in Los Angeles has featured Optimus robots handing out popcorn, though many people have speculated that those bots are teleoperated, as well. Tesla didn't respond to questions on Monday about whether there was someone operating Optimus at the Miami event from a remote location. Ever since the shirt-folding video, it's become pretty standard for people on social media to ask whether a given robot video shows real autonomy. There was even a period last year when just about every robot maker started slapping text on their videos to assure viewers their creations weren't being teleoperated. Musk's showmanship and sleight of hand have naturally made people suspicious. Musk was recently asked whether a video of Optimus "learning Kung Fu" was autonomous. Musk replied, "AI, not teleoperated." But obviously, people were skeptical given the fact that you can see a guy holding a video game controller in the background. Gizmodo couldn't independently verify that the video shows Optimus working autonomously. It's particularly funny that Optimus would be teleoperated in Miami at an event called "The Future of Autonomy Visualized." Building autonomous robots that can work without human intervention is incredibly difficult. But there are companies like Figure that are miles ahead of Tesla when it comes to this kind of autonomy. One commenter on X poked fun at the Art Basel mishap and sarcastically commented that they weren't worried. They insisted Musk would surely figure out how to deliver a billion robots by next year: "I'm not sure where @elonmusk is going to find enough teleoperator though, since the robotaxi's still need an equal number of Safety Drivers... Its gunna be a rough year." That's the other thing, of course. Musk promised autonomous taxis called Robotaxi (not to be confused with the more advanced and imaginary Cybercab) would be operating by now. But the Robotaxi service that's currently operating in Texas still has a human babysitter. Musk hasn't quite promised to produce a billion robots by 2026. He's said that Tesla will be producing 1 million humanoid robots by 2030 and insists there will be a billion humanoid robots in the world by 2040. The Tesla CEO is promising quite a bit more than seems realistic for the near future, whether it's Optimus, the Robotaxi, or the Cybercab. Another video from the Miami event shows an Optimus robot handing out water. After the person filming grabs their water, they hand it back to Optimus. The person wants Optimus to set down the water, presumably to see it do more movements. But Optimus is initially reluctant to do so. It's unclear why, but it might have something to do with the video that's currently going viral. It seems likely that the operator may struggle to see below them, and setting the water back down on the table could cause them to knock things over. Even people who didn't see Optimus fall over seemed somewhat disappointed by the event. One attendee posted that they were expecting a "deeper dive" into how Tesla Vision works, though they otherwise seemed happy. The viral video out of Miami is also inspiring quite a few jokes on social media sites like Bluesky. Musk has bet the future of Tesla on AI and humanoid robots. And he famously promised that his robots would one day be babysitting your kids. But if we're nearly two years out from the fake laundry-folding video and Optimus still can't hand out a bottle of water autonomously, it makes you wonder how quickly he can deliver humanoid robots to the masses.

Video of Tesla Optimus robot falling down is going viral

A bizarre video of one of Tesla's Optimus robots appearing to malfunction and fall over while serving drinks at an event is going viral online. The incident happened at an "Autonomy Visualized" event at its Miami store. As Electrek writes, the Tesla event was promoted as a way to showcase the company's "Autopilot technology and Optimus." The fall is a potential embarrassment for Tesla chief Elon Musk, who has highlighted recent demos of Optimus -- including one in which the robot appears to be performing Kung Fu. "AI, not tele-operated," Musk claimed in a reply to a video showcasing the robots skills. Musk was referring to the fact that previous showcases of Optimus actually involved the robot being operated remotely by a human. Still, Optimus did not seem to be in control of itself at the "Autonomy Visualized" event. The video was first posted on Reddit and is now going viral across social media, including on Musk's own X platform. It shows an Optimus robot serving water bottles at the event. The robot's hands knock into the table, causing water bottles to fall. Then, suddenly, the robot seems to completely malfunction and falls back. The weirdest part of the video, though, may be the motion the robots arms and hands make while it begins to tip backwards. The Optimus robot lifts its arms upwards as its hands make a motion as if removing something -- rather like someone removing a VR headset from their head. As Electrek points out, VR headsets are exactly what Tesla teleoperators use to control the robots. A headset fail wouldn't be the first setback for Tesla's Optimus robots, which Musk has referred to as his "robot army." But when it comes to assessing just how effective this army would be in practice, this video is an eye-opener. So, while Musk touts autonomous robots, it appears Optimus may still be remotely operated -- at least, at public events that aim to promote their autonomy.

Tesla promotes Optimus as its next big breakthrough, but one robot's collapse has sparked doubts about their current level of autonomy | Fortune

Elon Musk and Tesla are touting the company's Optimus robot as its next revolutionary moneymaker, but after several incidents, some are questioning how autonomous it actually is. During an event titled "autonomy visualized" at a Tesla location in Miami over the weekend, one of the humanoid robots handing out water bottles fell backwards after making upward motions toward its head with both hands, according to a video posted to Reddit. (This incident was shortly after Russia debuted its first AI-powered robot, which similarly fell onstage at an event). The Tesla event was meant to show off its "Autopilot technology and Optimus," Electrek reported. It made the movement after accidentally knocking some of the water bottles it was handing out off a desk, and stood out because of its similarity to a human reaction. While it's unknown what actually occurred during the incident, the robot's movement led some online to speculate the robot may have been taking off a VR headset. The incident stood out because Tesla has used human-controlled Optimus robots at prior events. During Tesla's Robotaxi event last year, attendees interacted with Optimus robots in person. Some played rock, paper, scissors, while others served drinks or posed for photos. Yet, it turns out -- although the company did not advertise it -- some of those bots were apparently being controlled remotely by humans. At least one Optimus robot admitted it, saying: "Today, I'm assisted by a human, I'm not yet fully autonomous," although the LA Timesreported, at the time, using humans to operate the bots may have been due to a late request by Musk to include the robots in the Robotaxi event. Tesla has previously trained its robots with workers wearing special motion-capture suits and VR headsets. While Tesla has relied on humans before to showcase their Optimus robots, Musk has often said the robots, in other settings, are not human operated. In reply to a post on X in October that showed Optimus practicing martial arts, Musk affirmed the robots movements were "AI, not tele-operated." At the premiere of Tron: Ares that same month, an Optimus robot can also be seen squaring up with actor Jared Leto, a feat which Musk also said was AI-led, not human-controlled. "Optimus was at the Tron premiere doing kung fu, just up in the open, with Jared Leto. Nobody was controlling it. It was just doing kung fu with Jared Leto at the Tron premier. You can see the videos online," Musk said during Tesla's third quarter earnings call. "The funny thing is, a lot of people walked past it thinking it was just a person." Whether the Optimus robots still rely on human assistance is unclear, yet Musk and Tesla have pinned high hopes on the product, which Musk has called "the biggest product of any kind, ever." Musk has projected Optimus could represent up to 80% of the company's total value, and during the company's third quarter earnings call, the CEO said Tesla would next year start building a production line that could eventually have an annual capacity of 1 million Optimus robots.

Amazing Video Shows Tesla Optimus Teleoperator Taking Off Headset, Causing Robot to Stumble and Collapse

Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots still need plenty of help from a human teleoperator who's hidden from view. During a flashy event on a Hollywood movie studio lot in October 2024, for instance, an army of bipedal robots could be seen pouring drinks and conversing with eventgoers -- a stunt that turned out to heavily rely on a team of off-camera pilots with remote controls. Now, a new video has surfaced on social media that perfectly -- and comedically -- illustrates how far Tesla still is from fully automating its humanoid robot's movements, despite trying its best to sell the illusion. The footage, recorded at Tesla's "Autopilot technology and Optimus" event at its Miami store this weekend, shows a robot standing behind a table littered with plastic water bottles when it suddenly raises its hands to its temples, losing its balance and stumbling backwards, and ultimately falling flat on its back. The mysterious behavior led many to conclude that it was copying its teleoperator, who was caught removing their virtual reality headset while logging off, abruptly shattering the illusion of autonomy. "If there was any question that Optimus uses teleop for their robots," robotics company CEO Cix Liv tweeted. "Here, one clearly has a guy take the headset off, and it falls over." "Absolutely hilarious though," he added. "Pay no attention to the low-paid worker virtually operating your Tesla hydration bot," Kotaku's Ethan Gach wrote, referencing the titular "Wizard of Oz," who's unmasked to be a humble balloonist from Kansas, after using magic tricks to make himself appear "great and powerful." The video highlights a still-enormous gap between humanoid robot hardware and the required software to allow it to roam the world without being steered by a human. And it's not just Tesla. Robotics company 1X was recently criticized for showing off its NEO humanoid robot, which costs an eye-watering $20,000, that will require customers to sign off on a hired teleoperator navigating their homes through the robot. For Tesla, the stakes are considerable. CEO Elon Musk has previously claimed that Tesla's future relies on the success of its AI offerings and Optimus, claiming the robot could generate over $10 trillion in revenue in the long term and raise the company's market cap from just over $1 trillion to $25 trillion. But as the latest video goes to show, reality continues to lag far behind the billionaire's characteristically ambitious predictions. If it can't hand bottles of water to eventgoers on its own, what can it actually do? As Electrek points out, Musk promised on Tesla's earnings call in October that Optimus was "doing kung fu" at the premiere of "Tron: Ares" with "nobody" controlling it. But if we were to hazard a guess, a human martial artist could still easily best the kicking robot -- by simply tipping it over.

Tesla Optimus robot takes a suspicious tumble in new demo

A new video surfacing from a Tesla demonstration in Miami this weekend shows the Optimus humanoid robot taking a nasty fall. But it's not the fall itself that is raising eyebrows, it's the specific hand movements the robot made on its way down, which strongly suggest it was mimicking a remote operator frantically removing a VR headset. Humanoid robots are all the hype right now. Billions in investments are pouring in, and Elon Musk claims it will be a trillion-dollar product for Tesla, justifying its insane valuation. The idea has been that with the advent of AI, robots in human form could use the new generalized artificial intelligence to replace humans in an increasingly larger number of tasks. However, there are still many serious concerns about the effort, both at the ethical and technological levels. Technologically, most humanoid robot demonstrations have relied on remote control by human operators - pointing to a remaining gap between the software and hardware. We discussed how the robots at the "We, Robot" event were heavily teleoperated, despite Tesla not explicitly disclosing that fact to the public. That was more than a year ago, and despite claims that Tesla has made "AI demos" of Optimus since, it appears the company still relies on teleoperation to control them during demonstrations. This weekend, Tesla held an event called 'Autonomy Visualized' at its store in Miami. The goal was to showcase Tesla's "Autopilot technology and Optimus." However, there was nothing "autonomous" at Tesla's "autonomy" event. Many Tesla fans were seen posting videos of a Tesla Optimus robot handing out bottles of water at the event. It was also seen posing for pictures and dancing. On Reddit, someone posted a different video of the demonstration: As you can see, Tesla Optimus moved its hands too quickly, causing some water bottles to drop to the ground. It then loses its balance and begins to fall backward. But the most interesting part is that just before falling backward, both of its hands immediately shoot up to its "face" in a distinct grasping motion, as if pulling an object off its head. The robot, of course, is not wearing anything on its head. The motion is instantly recognizable to anyone who has used VR or watched teleoperation setups. It appears the human operator, likely located backstage or in a remote facility, removed their headset in the middle of operating the robot for unknown reasons. Optimus faithfully replicated the motion of removing a non-existent headset as it crashed to the floor. Here's a look at how Tesla trained Pptimus with VR headsets in its lab: This is embarrassing, but not just because the robot fell. Robots fall; that's part of the R&D process. Boston Dynamics blooper reels are legendary, and they never really eroded the company's credibility. The problem here is the "Wizard of Oz" moment. The specific motion of removing the "phantom headset" destroys the illusion of autonomy Tesla tries so hard to curate. Even recently, Musk fought back against the notion that Tesla relies on teleoperation for its Optimus demonstration. He specified that a new demo of Optimus doing kung-fu was "AI, not tele-operated": Musk said again during Tesla's last earnings call in October: "Optimus was at the Tron premiere doing kung fu, just up in the open, with Jared Leto. Nobody was controlling it. It was just doing kung fu with Jared Leto at the Tron Premier. You can see the videos online. The funny thing is, a lot of people walked past it thinking it was just a person." Musk keeps telling shareholders that Optimus will be the biggest product in history and that millions of units will be working in factories soon. But if they are still relying on 1:1 teleoperation to hand out water bottles right now, it feels like we are still far away from a useful generalized Optimus robot.

Tesla's Optimus Raises Eyebrows After Weird 'Headset' Gesture, Sudden Shutdown At Miami Event - Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA)

Tesla Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TSLA) humanoid robot Optimus' actions during an event in Miami have raised fresh questions about the robot's autonomy. Optimus Appears To Take Off Headset During Tesla's Autonomy Visualized event in Miami on Saturday, an Optimus robot can be seen standing behind the counter with bottles of water for the patrons of the event in a video that has surfaced on social media. The video showcases an Optimus robot mimicking a gesture of taking off a headset, except the robot wasn't wearing any headsets or headgear. The robot then falls to the ground, seemingly powered down. The incident has raised questions about the robots being teleoperated YouTuber JerryRigEverything, aka Zack Nelson, took to the social media platform X to express his views on the matter. "to the moon tho," Nelson said, taking a swipe at Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has predicted that SpaceX's Starship rocket would carry Optimus robots to space. Optimus' Human-Like Movements The news comes as Tesla had recently showcased its Robot running across the floor, demonstrating life-like movements. The video comes as the Robot had previously showcased martial arts movements alongside an expert. Interestingly, Musk had claimed that the robot wasn't teleoperated and that the movements were all AI. The robot was also showcased at a movie premiere in Los Angeles. Tesla's Future Value, Michael Burry's Tesla Views Musk had earlier also shared that the robot would represent 80% of Tesla's future value. The CEO has also claimed that the robot would eradicate poverty, help Japan's labor shortages, as well as be an effective surgeon. Elsewhere, investor Michael Burry of 'The Big Short' fame, has criticized Tesla's market capitalization, calling it "ridiculously overvalued," as well as calling the EV giant's and Musk's supporters the "Elon cult." Tesla scores well on Momentum, while offering satisfactory Quality and Growth, but poor Value. It also has a favorable price trend in the Short, Medium and Long term. For more such insights, sign up for Benzinga Edge Stock Rankings today! Price Action: TSLA jumped 0.11% to $455.00 at Market close on Friday, but declined 1.12% to $449.91 during pre-market trading on Monday, according to Benzinga Pro data. Check out more of Benzinga's Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link. Photo courtesy: Around the World Photos/Shutterstock TSLATesla Inc $450.29-1.04% Overview Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs