/i/2004609076.png?fit=%2C&ssl=1 "Tesla Unveils Humanoid Robot That Should Cost Under $ 20,000 – IT Pro – News")
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has unveiled a humanoid robot prototype. Optimus contains 40 servomotors, a 2.3 kWh battery and mechanical hands that allow for fine movements. According to Musk, the production version of the robot will cost less than $ 20,000.
The humanoid robot was given the name Optimus, it will be 1.72 meters tall and weigh about 56 kilograms. The robot has a built-in 2.3 kWh battery. It is positioned in the center of the torso and can supply the robot with electricity for “a full working day,” according to Tesla. Incidentally, the battery has all the electronics needed to electronically control the robot.
The soc is located according to Tesla also in the bust. The chipset was developed by Tesla itself and, according to the company, is responsible for processing the robot’s visual and sensory data. Incidentally, this visual data processing is performed by the same technology that controls the Autopilot function in Tesla cars. The robot supports audio for communication purposes and also includes Wi-Fi and LTE modules. Tesla says the chipset also includes hardware security features to protect both the robot and bystanders. The company does not say in what scenarios this might be necessary.
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The humanoid robot will contain 40 servo motors that provide movement. According to Tesla, those motors don’t differ much from the servo motors the company uses for its cars, although the automaker has made the necessary changes. The engineers identified specific motor movements that the humanoid robot should be able to perform and then developed six different types of servomotors taking these movements into account. By making the necessary adjustments and adjusting the design of the servomotors, some of these servomotors can lift an object weighing 500 kilograms.
Tesla has also built a digital library of motion patterns that the robot can draw from. Each basic movement was first performed by a human and then captured. That capture serves as a reference, but the humanoid robot will also be able to adjust those movements on its own if a situation calls for it.
The company also discussed the robot’s mechanical hands. Each hand contains six drive motors which currently allow 11 degrees of freedom of movement. Each hand contains numerous sensors and flexible artificial tendons that allow for a customizable grip and fine-grained finger movements. This requires the robot to be able to grasp and pick up small or thin objects. According to Tesla, a mechanical hand can lift a carrying case of about 9 kilograms. The hands would also be able to use tools.
According to Elon Musk, it was the first time ever that this prototype worked without supporting wiring. The robot is reportedly capable of doing a lot more than just walking around right now, but Musk didn’t want to take any chances during the demo. The videos show how the robot carries, among other things, a cardboard box, which it also supports, and how it moves in a factory environment while walking. Musk also shared the final design of the Optimus robot. That final version should be able to move individual fingers independently of each other and contain lighter materials. According to Musk, this version will ultimately cost less than $ 20,000 and the company can produce “millions”. It is unclear when the humanoid robot will actually go on sale.
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