Elon Musk and Tesla are touting the company’s Optimus robot as its next revolutionary moneymaker, but after several incidents, some are questioning how autonomous it actually is.
During an event titled Autonomy Visualized at a Tesla location in Miami over the weekend, one of the humanoid robots handing out water bottles fell backward after making upward motions toward its head with both hands, according to a video posted to Reddit. (This incident was shortly after Russia debuted its first AI-powered robot, which similarly fell onstage at an event.) The Tesla event was meant to show off its “Autopilot technology and Optimus,” Electrekreported.
It made the movement after accidentally knocking some of the water bottles it was handing out off a desk, and stood out because of its similarity to a human reaction. While it’s unknown what actually occurred during the incident, the robot’s movement led some online to speculate the robot may have been taking off a VR headset.
Tesla did not immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment.
Tesla Optimus
