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Tesla Pushes Back Optimus Design Freeze as Musk Hypes Robot as 'Incredible Surgeon'

A delayed design freeze underscores unresolved engineering.

Overview

  • On Tesla’s latest earnings call, Elon Musk positioned Optimus as a major future profit driver and claimed it could become an “incredible surgeon.”
  • Tesla confirmed the third‑generation Optimus design freeze is delayed to the first quarter of next year, with Optimus 3.0 targeted for early 2026 and a goal of one million units annually.
  • To date, Tesla has not demonstrated surgical capabilities for Optimus, with public demos limited to simple tasks like basic martial arts moves, egg handling, and slow item delivery.
  • A LatePost report citing a Tesla supply‑chain source says dexterous hands used in parcel‑sorting training lasted about six weeks and cost over $6,000 each, implying high replacement costs not including power.
  • Separately, China’s Unitree introduced the H2 humanoid with a more humanlike face that drew some “scary” reactions, and its CEO said the R1 is ready for mass production with shipments expected from late 2025 to early 2026.