Optimus parts to be used as Neuralink prosthetic limbs with Tesla Bot mass production to commence in November

[Chris]

Image: Tesla

Elon Musk has revealed his new plans for using Optimus parts paired with neuralink to allow people to control prosthetic limbs with their brains utilising specially designed Optimus actuators.

Musk has also revealed Tesla are busy fine tuning the design of actuators for Optimus that are capable of being mass produced with an expected time frame for mass production to be around November of this year.

The question is, could it be possible one day for people to control Optimus robots with their minds only?!

Musk answered, sort of, then went on to hype up another potential use for Optimus tech: high-tech prosthetics.

Combining advanced robotics from Tesla with brain-implant technology from one of Musk's other ventures, Neuralink, could give amputees "a robot arm or leg that is as good, maybe better long term, than a biological one," the Tesla CEO said. Neuralink is working on implants that allow people with physical disabilities to control a computer or mobile device with their brains.
"We believe we can give, basically, a cyborg body that is incredibly capable," Musk said.

Source:
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-optimus-tesla-robot-limbs-neuralink-cyborg-2023-7?amp

Elon Musk wants Tesla and Neuralink to build a cyborg body to turn amputees into the bionic man​

The visionary CEO says his companies could one day offer hope to the 2 million amputees in the United States by giving them a prosthetic limb that could one day be better than a biological one.​

“By combining a Neuralink implant and a robotic arm or leg for someone that has their arm or leg—or all arms or legs—amputated, we believe we can give basically a cyborg body that is incredibly capable,” he told Tesla investors on Wednesday.


“I think it would be incredible to potentially help millions of people around the world, and give them an arm or leg that is as good, maybe long term better than, a biological one.”

Source:
https://fortune.com/2023/07/20/elon...y-amputees-incredibly-capable-bionic-man/amp/

He noted that Tesla has built a small number of robots so far mostly because the company has actuator supply issues. More specifically, Tesla realized that there were no off-the-shelf actuators that "worked well" for Optimus.

As a result, Tesla had to design and build the actuators itself. The actuator is a key component for robots as it creates motion by converting stored energy into mechanical work.
“So, we've actually had to design our own actuators that integrate the motor or the power electronics, the controller, the sensors. And really, every one of them is custom designed. And then, of course, we'll be using the same inference hardware as the car," Elon Musk explained. He added that Tesla is designing these actuators for volume production.
"So, they're not just lighter, tighter, and more capable than any other actuators wherever that exists in the world, but it's also actually manufacturable. So, we should be able to make them in volume."

Tesla's head honcho said the first "sort of production candidate actuators integrated and walking should be around November-ish," with a production ramp to follow shortly after that.

Source:

Tesla Has Built Only "5 Or 6" Optimus Robots So Far, Musk Reveals

Elon Musk said he expected a production ramp for the Optimus robot to follow shortly after November 2023.

insideevs.com

 

[Chris]

Video showing how this concept may work using the Esper Hand, a “human-like” prosthetic arm that can be controlled by the mind.

 

[Chris]

Video showcasing 5 Mind-Controlled Prosthetics.

 

[Chris]

Update on this development.

Musk predicts Neuralink could be used to enable people to control an Optimus robot with their mind via Bluetooth. This could enable Optimus to be an invaluable piece of tech for people that have suffered paralysis.

Neuralink’s first patient Noland Arbaugh might get the chance to control an Optimus robot telepathically during the Neuralink trial he is currently participating in.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1811119813315678573

First Neuralink Patient Wants Tesla Robot He Can Control With His Mind

Now that the first Neuralink patient is a whiz at playing video games and noodling around his laptop with the power of his brain implant, Noland Arbaugh told Wired he would like to go one step further and get a Tesla Optimus robot and control it with his mind. "I think it would be so […]

ca.news.yahoo.com