Tesla builds an “Optimus academy” to raise its humanoids like children, says Musk

Tesla is building a training site called “Optimus 学院”, or “Optimus academy”. Prototypes of the robot repeat a range of tasks there. The data collected will be used to train later generations of robots.

Elon Musk made the comparison on 21 October, local time. He said Tesla's self-driving system learns from the data of its huge fleet of cars, which Optimus does not have. The robot must therefore watch humans at work, then practise by itself, as a person would.

To gather enough data, Tesla will first have to build a large number of robots. Elon Musk estimates that it will need between ten thousand and twenty thousand, which will then train autonomously.

Tesla's Fremont factory is already producing Optimus. Elon Musk expects the first deliveries to customers at the end of 2027.

Elon Musk also warned investors that production might not go smoothly. According to Business Insider, Tesla must above all make the robot's hands both durable and dexterous, and develop an AI able to carry out tasks that are not defined in advance.