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.”
If there was any question that Optimus uses teleop for their robots. Here one clearly has a guy take the headset off and it falls over.
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