Tesla has shared a new video showing its Optimus humanoid robot pulling some rather impressive dance moves.
While the nifty footwork might not be much use for the industrial settings that the robot is destined for, the 60-second clip effectively showcases its increasing agility and lifelike range of motion.
The clip comes a day after Optimus boss Milan Kovac said in an online post that his robotics team “has been working very hard in the background.”
Kovac added that for the dancing, Optimus, also known as the Tesla Bot, was trained entirely in simulation, with reinforcement learning. He also noted that the cable in the second clip was in place “in case of a fall” and was not actually holding the robot.
The third generation of the Tesla Bot was unveiled in March 2025. It features significant design and functional upgrades that include a 22-degree-of-freedom hand (up from 11 in previous versions), self-recharging capability, and advanced AI that allows the robot to learn tasks like a human rather than relying on traditional programming.
Tesla chief Elon Musk has previously said that “thousands” of the robots could one day work alongside human staff at Tesla factories in the next year or two, taking care of “dangerous, repetitive, [and] boring tasks.”
There are also plans for a commercial launch, with Musk claiming that Optimus could one day potter around the home as a household helper, or even “babysit your kid, walk your dog, mow your lawn, get the groceries, just be your friend, serve drinks.”
At $20,000 a pop, it won’t come cheap, though there’s also been talk of offering a more affordable rental service.
For decades we’ve been promised advanced, intelligent, and truly useful humanoid robots, and now the technology appears to be finally delivering. Tesla is now in a rapidly developing global race to build a practical humanoid robot, with major players such as Tesla, Figure AI, Apptronik, and Boston Dynamics competing alongside a string of impressive Chinese rivals.
Companies in the sector are keen to move toward mass production in a bid to address labor shortages and automate repetitive or dangerous tasks. While challenges like cost, safety, and real-world complexity remain, there’s a growing possibility that in the next few years, humanoid robots could enter the workplace — and even everyday life — at an unprecedented scale.
