Tesla Optimus vs. Unitree G1: Autonomy or Advertising? – Video

With reports pouring in that Tesla’s optimist robots were human assisted during the company’s we robot event including video by attendees where the robots or the people speaking through the robots confirmed they weren’t fully autonomous. We decided to take a look at the optimist gen two and its more affordable competitor. The unit three G one to explore the finer details of these hyped up humanoids. Let’s get into it in a new video from Tesla posted after the company’s wii robot event. The company cleared up some questions about how its robots are controlled. Tesla says optimists can explore unseen spaces autonomously. The video also shows many of the same skills we saw at the Wii robot event in a controlled environment such as handing out drinks and bags which Tesla says it was doing autonomously. It even left the guy hanging like we saw at the Wii robot event. However, there are important differences. Optimist wasn’t actually shown pouring drinks in this video like it was at the human assisted we robot event. It was just handing them out autonomously. It’s possible that these actions are able to be performed autonomously in a well lit lab environment but we’re not ready to be performed autonomously in a dimly lit, loud environment crowded with people. Still the conversation around autonomy that ensued in the wake of Tesla’s we robot event is a reminder of why autonomy is such an important milestone for robotics companies. And it presents an opportunity for us to separate the facts from the hype when evaluating a robotics company’s marketing materials. For example, most of the time when a company’s robot does something autonomously, the company will brag about it. That’s because autonomy requires the robot has the ability to gather information, make decisions based on that information and act on those decisions. Robotics. Company One X released a video of its robots completing various tasks that it says were quote all autonomous. Similarly figure has shown videos of its figure two robot autonomously manipulating the placement of parts in a factory setting. All this to say that autonomy should never be assumed if the company doesn’t say it outright. There’s a lot of human assisted magic that can be hidden behind that glossy robotic facade and some companies may take advantage of it. One of Tesla’s competitors in the robotics market unit tree has shared videos on its youtube channel of the Humanoid G one robot, none mentioned autonomy as a means of control. The videos appear to be intended to showcase the robot’s physical capabilities rather than how it’s controlled a video of the unit tree H one, the G one’s Humanoid predecessor shows the robot being tele operated by a person and unit tree’s website says that the G one includes a manual controller. That’s not to say that the unit G one won’t have autonomous capabilities, but it certainly hasn’t been the focus of the company’s marketing for the G one so far. Unit seems to be positioning its robots as a more affordable portable alternative. Its current $16,000 price tag is significantly lower than the 20 to $30,000. Elon Musk said he’s hoping to someday achieve with optimists. The G one is also significantly smaller and lighter, which perhaps is partly accountable for the lower cost. Unit tree’s lineup of robots are generally more affordable than its competitors, which has helped the Chinese brand stand out and make a name for itself in an increasingly crowded robot market. The G one’s smaller size may also help it achieve some of the more acrobatic maneuvers we’ve seen in the promo videos that appear to put its capabilities somewhere between the stilted shuffle of optimists and the Parkour of HD Atlas from Boston Dynamics Unit calls its G one robot, a quote humanoid agent A I avatar seemingly highlighting the robot’s function as a vessel to be controlled by a person like the movie avatar. Whereas Elon Musk basically said his robots will do anything you want. Not yet, of course, but someday just like full self driving someday to see our recap of optimist at the WII robot event. Check out this video right here and subscribe to CNET for the latest robot news as always. Thanks so much for watching. I’m your host, Jesse Orel. See you next time with the family.