Tesla's Optimus humanoid production falls short due to complex hands
Tesla is having a tough time cranking out its Optimus humanoid robots, mainly because their complex hands are tricky to build.
Even though production has reached several hundred robots per week as of last month, that is still way behind the ambitious 20,000-a-week goal.
These bots, first shown off by Tesla in 2022, are meant to be all-purpose helpers.
Optimus hand assembly exceeds 100 parts
Each robot hand and forearm has more than 100 screws and other small parts that have to be assembled manually, making assembly slow and durability a real headache.
Tesla is working on a swap-in "sensing glove" for future models to boost reliability.
For now, most Optimus robots are being tested inside Tesla factories. Looking ahead, the plan is to start leasing them out to businesses, and Musk said Tesla could begin selling them by late 2027.