Tesla ramps Optimus to hundreds a week, but the robots can’t generalize

This is Tesla news, not a home energy story, so there is nothing here about upgrading your house. Briefly: Tesla has ramped up production of its Optimus humanoid robot at its Fremont, California plant, building several hundred a week in August, up from a few dozen in the spring. The company is aiming for over 1,000 a week by year's end. Tesla converted the factory line that used to build the Model S and Model X sedans into the Optimus line earlier this year.

Despite the faster pace, the robots reportedly still struggle with basic reliability and flexibility. The hands, which have more than 100 small parts each, are hard to assemble consistently, and touch sensors have had problems. Most of the robots built so far are used inside Tesla's own factories for testing and data collection, working only in supervised areas on narrow, preset tasks rather than general jobs. It can reportedly take the robot's AI several days to learn even a simple task, and the version being built now is not the one Tesla plans to eventually sell or lease to outside companies.

None of this involves home energy equipment, rebates, or costs relevant to a household. It is a look at how Tesla's robotics program is progressing and the technical hurdles still standing between the current robots and any real commercial use.