Tesla Optimus Gen 3

Optimus is a general-purpose humanoid that Tesla has been developing since 2021 for repetitive and unsafe work, starting in Tesla's own factories. The third generation is meant to be the first production version, but as of October 2026 Tesla had neither shown it publicly nor published its specifications.

History and launch

Tesla announced the project at AI Day in August 2021 with a rendering and a dancer in a costume rather than a working machine. Elon Musk gave target figures of 5 ft 8 in (173 cm), 125 lb (about 57 kg), a top speed of 5 mph (about 2.2 m/s) and a 45 lb (about 20 kg) carrying capacity.

Walking prototypes appeared at AI Day 2022. In December 2023 Tesla released Gen 2, which was 10 kg lighter, had a 2-DoF actuated neck, walked 30% faster and used new 11-DoF hands; the video showed it handling an egg without breaking it.

At the October 2024 "We, Robot" event Optimus units served drinks and chatted with guests. Many observers noted that much of the interaction was teleoperated, something Tesla did not make clear on stage.

The Gen 3 (V3) reveal slipped several times through 2026. On the Q1 2026 earnings call Musk said it would be unveiled closer to the start of production. No official reveal had taken place by October 2026.

Hardware

Tesla designs its own actuators, sensors and hands. Gen 2 added tactile sensing in the fingers and a foot shaped after the human one. In 2024 Musk talked about a 22-DoF hand for the next version, but Tesla has not released official Gen 3 numbers for weight, actuator count, battery capacity or runtime.

Figures that circulate for Gen 3, such as 28 DoF or four hours of runtime, are not from Tesla documents. The height, weight and payload Tesla has stated publicly date back to the 2021 concept.

Software and AI

Tesla frames Optimus as sharing the foundations of its driver-assistance software: cameras as the main sense and neural networks trained on large datasets. Milan Kovac, who led the programme from 2022, left in June 2025; Ashok Elluswamy, head of the Autopilot teams, took over.

Tesla says the first robots from the new line will go to an internal "Optimus Academy" for training-data collection and software development. Workers at the Grünheide plant are to wear backpack-mounted cameras to capture motion data.

Use cases and deployments

Since 2024 Tesla has posted videos of Optimus doing simple jobs in its factories, such as handling battery cells, but it has not said how many robots do productive work. In December 2025 Optimus greeted visitors at Tesla locations in London and Berlin.

In July 2026 Tesla said it had decommissioned the Model S and Model X lines at Fremont and was installing first-generation Optimus lines there, with production expected to start soon.

Manufacturer

Optimus is built by Tesla, Inc., headquartered in Austin, Texas. Musk has repeatedly described the robot as potentially Tesla's most important product; those are forward-looking statements, not sales figures.

Price and availability

Optimus is not for sale. In October 2024 Musk estimated that at scale it could cost $20,000 to $30,000. That is a projection, not a price list, and Tesla has not given a date for external sales.

Timeline

• 2021-08 Tesla Bot announced at AI Day (concept only).
• 2022-09 First walking prototypes at AI Day 2022.
• 2023-12 Optimus Gen 2: 10 kg lighter, 11-DoF hands.
• 2024-10 "We, Robot" event; Musk estimates a $20-30k price at scale.
• 2025-06 Milan Kovac leaves; Ashok Elluswamy takes over the programme.
• 2026-07 Tesla installs first Optimus lines at Fremont in place of Model S/X lines.

Sources

1. Tesla is working on an AI-powered humanoid robot, Engadget (2021-08-20)
2. Tesla's latest Optimus robot can handle an egg without breaking it, Engadget (2023-12-13)
3. Humanoid Robots Serve Drinks, Party With Guests at Tesla We Robot Event, AI Business (2024-10-11)
4. Tesla Optimus robotics vice president Milan Kovac is leaving the company, CNBC via NBC San Diego (2025-06-06)
5. Q2 financial results: Tesla posts record deliveries as profits come under pressure, electrive (2026-07-23)
6. Optimus (robot), Wikipedia (2026-09)

Updated: 2026-10-10

Compared with the catalogue

• At 173 cm the Tesla Optimus Gen 3 is taller than 60% of the humanoids in the catalogue (median: 170 cm).
• It has 28 degrees of freedom against a catalogue median of 28; more degrees of freedom usually means finer arm and hand movement.
• Its weight of 57 kg (catalogue median: 65 kg) matters for transport and for working around people.
• It is one of 4 Tesla models in the catalogue and one of 43 humanoids from USA.

Capabilities

Video