The walking, talking Optimus robots that stole the show during Elon Musk’s splashy “Cybercab” event in Hollywood last week were operated in part through remote control by humans, according to a report.
The faceless, nearly six-foot-tall figures served fruity cocktails, danced to techno music and chit-chatted with guests.
Although Optimus bots were able to walk using artificial intelligence, many of their actions were controlled remotely by Tesla employees, sources told Bloomberg.
After the event on Thursday, guests took to social media to speculate over the bots’ so-called autonomous capabilities.
While Musk didn’t discuss the limits of the technology behind the bots during the event, the Optimus bots appeared to be forthcoming under questioning from guests.
In one video posted to X, a bartending bot at the event told a guest: “Today, I’m assisted by a human. I’m not yet fully autonomous.”
Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.
Musk on Thursday claimed Optimus would be “the biggest product ever of any kind” – able to mow the lawn, walk the dog, watch the kids or just be a friend.
The billionaire said the bots would cost less than a car — between $20,000 to $30,000.
Earlier this year, he said Tesla may be able to sell the humanoid robots by the end of next year.
The Cybercab event was the first opportunity for non-Tesla employees to interact with Optimus – and it was a highlight for many investors and Tesla fanatics who were left otherwise underwhelmed by the event.
But the remote control revelation dashes hopes that Optimus will be ready for release so soon.
Experts previously told The Post it would likely take up to a decade before the robots could be released in full swing.
“The robot still faces challenges in areas like walking steadily in uneven terrain, lasting all day on a single battery charge, and safely navigating around people and pets — a thornier problem than it might seem,” QueryPal CEO Dev Nag told The Post.
“While Musk is known for his ambitious timelines, most experts believe Optimus will first prove itself in factories and warehouses before it’s ready for household use,” he said.
It’s not the first time Musk has raised tech junkies’ hopes. During a Tesla event in 2021, he introduced his “Tesla bot” — and then a man in a robot suit took to the stage and performed a dance. The next year, he introduced a prototype that needed to be held up by a stand.
The Optimus robots were not originally a part of last week’s event.
Musk gave employees three weeks’ notice that he wanted the robots included in the Cybercab event, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. The time crunch left little room for employees to ramp up the software — which meant remote operation was necessary, the person said.
The event also showcased a new Cybercab taxi and 20-person “robovan.” Guests – including investors, Wall Street analysts and Tesla fans — went for rides in driverless Cybercabs.
The highly-anticipated autonomous taxis ultimately left fans, and Wall Street, disappointed. Techies complained the event lacked enough technical details.
The company’s stock suffered its worst decline the day after the event in more than two months.
Tesla’s billionaire CEO had been set to discuss more autonomous-driving related items on stage, a person familiar with the planning told Bloomberg.
His presentation was supposed to include more details about the artificial intelligence behind Tesla’s truck, a future ride-hailing service and software pricing, the source said.
He either skipped the material or removed it from the event schedule, the person told Bloomberg.
The revelation that Optimus was partially remote-controlled may further disappoint some analysts, since most had called the bots a pleasant surprise and called them the highlight of the event.
“What Tesla unveiled last night was jaw-dropping,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives told The Post the day after the event. “Last night, I believe, it was a historical event.”
