[Music] with reports pouring in that Tesla's Optimus robots were human-assisted during the company's Wi robot event, including video by attendees where the robots or the people speaking through the robots confirmed they weren't fully autonomous. It might be some. We decided to take a look at the Optimus Gen 2 and its more affordable competitor, the Unitree G1, 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 WEO event, the company cleared up some questions about how its robots are controlled. Tesla says Optimus 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. Optimus wasn't actually shown pouring drinks in this video like it was at the human-assisted Wi 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 were 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 Wii 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 material. 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 to have the ability to gather information, make decisions based on that information, and act on those decisions. Robotics company 1X released a video of its robots completing various tasks that it says were quote all autonomous. Similarly, Figure has shown videos of its Figure 2 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, Unitree, has shared videos on its YouTube channel of the humanoid G1 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 Unitree H1, the G1's humanoid predecessor, shows the robot being teleoperated by a person, and Unitree's website says that the G1 includes a manual controller. That's not to say that the Unitree G1 won't have autonomous capabilities, but it certainly hasn't been the focus of the company's marketing for the G1 so far. Unitree seems to be positioning its robots as a more affordable, portable alternative. Its current $16,000 price tag is significantly lower than the $20,000 to $30,000 Elon Musk said he's hoping to

someday achieve with Optimus. The G1 is also significantly smaller and lighter, which perhaps is partly accountable for the lower cost. Unitree'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 robotics market. The G1'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 Optimus and the parkour of HD Atlas from Boston Dynamics. Unitree calls its G1 robot a humanoid agent AI 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 Optimus at the Wii robot event, check out this video right here and subscribe to CET for the

latest robot news. As always, thanks so much for watching. I'm your host, Jesse Oral. See you next time with the fam.

Tesla Optimus vs. Unitree G1: Hyped-Up Humanoids

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