Tesla faces software limitations in scaling Optimus robot deployments

Electrek reports that Tesla has expanded its Optimus robot assembly to several hundred units each week at its Fremont facility. The carmaker repurposed factory space previously reserved for older vehicle models to build the humanoids. However, the machines remain confined to tightly controlled internal testing zones rather than performing routine industrial work.

The primary obstacle is software. According to reporting from The Information cited by Electrek, the artificial intelligence powering the robots struggles to adapt to unfamiliar tasks, often taking days to master basic physical movements. Manufacturing delicate components like hands also presents physical hurdles, as workers must manually assemble tiny joints that frequently fail quality checks.

To address the intelligence bottleneck, Tesla is reassigning staff from its self-driving teams and using suit-wearing data collectors to gather training footage. The company intends to lease early models to business partners with simple factory layouts, mirroring its driver-assist strategy by collecting real-world field data to improve the software over time.

While specialized industrial arms excel at predictable, repetitive tasks, humanoids must adapt instantly to varied environments to justify their high production costs. It remains an open question whether software updates alone can turn a fragile, slowly trained prototype into a practical substitute for human labor.