Tesla shows its first Optimus humanoid robot prototype

At Tesla’s AI Day in Palo Alto on 30 September 2022, Elon Musk and the engineering team showed a working prototype of the Optimus humanoid robot, which walked onto the stage and waved. The 2021 event had shown only a dancer in a costume.

Why it mattered Tesla’s humanoid-robot plan moved from concept to a public demonstration, although the machine was described on stage as a rough development robot.

Corrections

2026-09-26: The Washington Post source was unreachable on two fetch attempts. Removed the “Bumble C” nickname and softened the why-clause to CNBC’s on-stage “rough development robot” description.