Elon Musk

A new video shows Tesla's humanoid robot sparring with a human, demonstrating surprising speed and fluidity. The demonstration was followed by a key strategic comment from Optimus lead Ashok Elluswamy, who highlighted the plan to unify the AI models for Optimus and Tesla's self-driving cars.

Following the departure of Milan Kovac, veteran AI software lead Ashok Elluswamy is reportedly taking the helm of Tesla's Optimus project. We look at the background of the man now tasked with realizing one of Elon Musk's most ambitious goals: deploying humanoid robots at scale.

Milan Kovac, VP overseeing Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot program, is reportedly leaving the company. His departure comes as Elon Musk targets 'thousands' of Optimus units in factories this year. Ashok Elluswamy, VP of AI software (Autopilot), is expected to take over leadership of the Optimus project.

Chris Walti, former head of Tesla's Optimus project, expresses doubts about the utility of humanoid robots in factories, arguing their form factor is ill-suited for repetitive industrial tasks. His new company, Mytra, focuses on a different approach to warehouse automation.

Tesla's Optimus robot demonstrates more fluid, human-like movements, touted by Elon Musk as 'real real-time.' The update highlights rapid progress in humanoid robotics, driven by simulation and reinforcement learning, a trend also visible in recent demonstrations by competitors like Unitree and EngineAI, and academic research projects such as HuB.