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Join on Telegram Rabat – Tesla has paused mass production of its humanoid robot, Optimus, as engineers struggle to perfect the design of its hands and arms—key components that determine the robot’s ability to perform real-world tasks.
According to a report by TechSpot, Tesla has temporarily halted the rollout of Optimus while it reworks the robot’s mechanical structure, particularly its forearms and hands.
The company has already produced hundreds of partial robot bodies that remain incomplete as engineers focus on resolving the technical bottlenecks.
Three months ago, the Information first reported that the issues prompted a full pause in assembly and parts procurement while Tesla’s robotics division redesigned the problem components.
The hands and arms are proving to be the most complex parts of Optimus, requiring fine motor control, torque precision, and heat management that exceed Tesla’s existing design capabilities.
Engineers reportedly encountered reliability issues during durability testing, including overheating motors, weak grip strength, and frequent joint failures.
Elon Musk publicly acknowledged that Optimus’ upper limbs remain a tough engineering challenge, though he insisted that the pause is temporary and aimed at improving long-term reliability.
Tesla’s production ambitions face a delay
The production halt puts Tesla’s ambitious plans at risk. The company had aimed to produce thousands of Optimus units by late 2025 and deploy them in its own factories to handle repetitive tasks.
Reports from Electrek suggest that Tesla has now delayed that target by several months while engineers complete design revisions. The company has not provided a new production timeline.
The pause comes amid leadership turnover in the Optimus program. Earlier this year, Milan Kovac, who led the project, left the company. He was replaced by Ashok Elluswamy, Tesla’s Autopilot software head, who is now overseeing both AI and robotics integration.
Analysts view the leadership shuffle as part of Musk’s broader push to align the robot’s hardware with Tesla’s vehicle-based AI systems.
Tesla’s Optimus was first unveiled in 2021 as a humanoid robot designed to take over repetitive, dangerous, or boring tasks in factories and households.
Standing about 1.7 meters tall and weighing around 60 kilograms, the robot is intended to move like a human, with cameras and neural networks allowing it to perceive and navigate the world.
Tesla has repeatedly claimed that Optimus will one day cost less than a car and could be used in manufacturing, logistics, and even caregiving.
Musk has positioned Optimus as Tesla’s next big product line, saying it could eventually outvalue its car business.
“My prediction long-term is that Optimus will be overwhelmingly the value of the company,” he said duringTesla’s Q4 2024 earnings call, according to Fortune.
However, skeptics argue that Tesla is facing the same obstacles that have limited progress for other robotics companies: fine motor skills, cost-effective production, and human-like dexterity.
Tesla has shown several prototypes of Optimus performing simple actions like walking, sorting objects, and waving, but observers noted that some demonstrations relied on remote assistance or pre-programmed movements.
Despite the pause, Tesla says it remains committed to the project. The company has not canceled supplier contracts—only postponed large-scale orders while the redesign is underway.
Sources familiar with Tesla’s internal timeline told TechSpot the company expects to complete the redesign phase within two months and resume gradual production soon after.
For now, the Optimus dream remains suspended between ambition and engineering reality. Whether Tesla can translate its robotics vision into a reliable, mass-produced humanoid will depend on solving the delicate dance of movement, strength, and precision that starts—in every sense—with its hands.
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