Tesla and Elon Musk face questions about the Optimus robot in Miami

Video of the fall of the humanoid robot Optimus appeared on Reddit last weekend and is spreading widely on social networks, including Elon Musk, Tesla CEO’s X. In the video, the robot is serving bottled water at the Autonomy Visualized event to introduce “Autopilot technology and Optimus robot” at the Tesla store in Miami.

However, the problem occurred when the robot slammed its hand on the table, spilled a series of water bottles, and then fell backwards. However, the strangest part is probably the movement of the arms and hands when the robot begins to lean backwards. It raises its arms high while its hands make movements like removing VR glasses from its head, even though the robot is actually not wearing anything. Many people believe that Optimus acts like this because someone uses VR glasses to remotely control the robot.

Although falls are not unusual in robot development, the new incident raises doubts about Optimus’s current level of autonomy. In October, in the video of Optimus fighting with real people, Musk confirmed that the robot’s movements were controlled by AI. However, some previous versions, such as the robot serving popcorn at Tesla restaurants, were also said to be remote controlled.

Optimus is about 173 cm tall and weighs 57 kg. Some sources say the robot has more than 40 degrees of freedom, including a flexible hand with 11 degrees of freedom, designed to interact like humans. The robot is equipped with a 2.3 kWh battery, allowing it to operate almost all day with impressive energy efficiency – consuming only 100 W when not moving and 500 W when walking. Tesla says the latest version has improved balance, gait and overall body coordination.

Tesla expects Optimus to be mass produced soon with an estimated price of 20,000-30,000 USD. Musk believes humanoid robots will become the company’s biggest product in the future, when deployed in many industries, helping to automate routine work and solve labor shortages. During Tesla’s third quarter 2025 earnings call, he said that Optimus could be an “infinite money-making machine” that would help company profits skyrocket.