To realize Musk's grand blueprint for Optimus humanoid robots, Tesla is recruiting new employees. According to data from LinkedIn and other recruitment websites, Tesla has hired dozens of workers in the past year to train its humanoid robot Optimus using motion capture suits, earning an hourly wage of up to $48 (approximately 343 RMB).
Tesla refers to this position as a "data collection operator" in its job advertisement, whose main task is to collect motion data and provide feedback on the performance of Optimus robots. Staff are required to wear motion capture suits and virtual reality helmets to simulate the actions and behaviors of robots.
The job description requires applicants to be able to walk for more than seven hours per day and to be between 5 feet 7 inches and 5 feet 11 inches (1.7 to 1.8 meters) tall to fit into motion capture clothing. The salary range for this position is between $25.25 and $48 per hour.
Motion capture technology is a widely used and cost-effective training method for teaching robots to perform human actions, and Tesla was one of the first companies to apply this technology on this scale. Currently, there are multiple videos online showcasing Optimus' ability to perform various tasks, but industry observers believe that millions of hours of data collection may be required before Optimus is fully prepared to work in Tesla factories.
Professionals also indicate that the cost of data collection is expected to exceed $500 million, but this still cannot guarantee the success of the Optimus project.
Tesla launched its Optimus project in 2021 with the aim of using this type of robot to complete "dangerous, repetitive, or tedious" work in factories. This measure is in line with the trend of automation in larger industries, which is accelerated by labor shortages during the pandemic era.
According to data from Weinner Consulting, 10% of warehouse reports have adopted effective automation technology since 2016. McKinsey's data shows that by 2030, the annual growth rate of robot shipments is expected to reach up to 50%.
The challenges currently faced by Optimus are similar to Musk's past overly optimistic promises about other projects. In 2022, Musk hinted that production of Optimus could begin as early as 2023. However, when robot experts first saw the Optimus prototype, the general response was not enthusiastic, believing that it lacked stunning features.
Evan Ackerman, the robotics editor of the Technology Review magazine, once commented, "Although Musk's brief demonstration of humanoid robots on stage had no obvious problems, there was nothing particularly outstanding about it. We had hoped (although not entirely expected) to see more innovation from Tesla
Nevertheless, Musk remains optimistic about the future of Optimus, believing that these robots can boost Tesla's market value to tens of times its current level, reaching $25 trillion. Musk expects to ultimately produce over 20 billion robots, believing that the global population of 8 billion will need this product, while industrial demand continues to grow.
However, he may not have fully considered the potential impact of business competition on market value. In February of this year, Figure, an AI driven robotics company supported by OpenAI Entrepreneurship Fund, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Jeff Bezos Expeditions, raised $675 million in its latest round of funding, with a valuation of $2.6 billion.
The company has signed a commercial agreement with BMW to assist the car manufacturer in producing cars. After determining the optimal use of the technology, Figure and BMW plan to implement robot technology at their factory in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The significant investment in artificial intelligence and robotics technology has also had an impact on Tesla's main business. The second quarter report shows that Tesla's total revenue slightly increased by 2% to $25.5 billion, with actual car sales revenue of $18.5 billion after deducting revenue from carbon credits, slightly lower than the market expectation of $18.7 billion. The gross profit margin of automobiles decreased to 14.65%, lower than the market expectation of 16.29%.
Tesla stated in a statement that profits were mainly affected by increased operating expenses driven by artificial intelligence projects and restructuring costs, with the latter increasing by $622 million due to approximately 10% layoffs in April. In addition, Tesla's global sales in the second quarter decreased by 4.8% year-on-year, marking the first consecutive two quarters of year-on-year decline in sales.