Tesla Offers $48 per Hour for Motion Capture to Advance Humanoid Robot Development

Tesla is seeking individuals to wear a motion-capture suit in order to collect data for the development of their humanoid robot, Optimus. Those interested can earn up to $48 per hour for this unique opportunity. Applicants must fall within the height range of 5 feet 7 inches to 5 feet 10 inches, have the ability to carry up to 30 pounds, and walk for more than seven hours a day.

One key requirement is the capacity to wear a VR headset for extended periods, despite potential discomfort or VR sickness. This valuable data collection role for the Tesla Bot involves walking set test routes, executing specific movements, analyzing data, and providing detailed daily reports on observations and any encountered issues. The position in Palo Alto, California, is just one of over 20 openings related to the Tesla Bot, with most focusing on engineering.

Tesla's interest in commercializing the robot was revealed at the company's AI Day in 2022, where the robot was introduced and later deployed to handle batteries in one of their factories, as stated in Tesla's recent earnings report. CEO Elon Musk has ambitious plans for the robot, aiming to have "genuinely useful humanoid robots" for internal use by 2025 and potentially in production for external companies by 2026.

During an April earnings call, Musk expressed his strong belief in the potential value of a fully commercialized Optimus, stating that it could surpass everything else produced by the company. Emphasizing the unparalleled AI inference capabilities of Tesla, Musk highlighted the incredible efficiency of Tesla's AI compared to other companies.

Tesla's Optimus stands out due to its superior AI technology, drawing upon the same advanced AI used in Tesla's self-driving vehicles. According to Musk, Tesla's inference AI surpasses that of any other company, positioning Tesla as a leader in humanoid robot production. His vision for a future where sentient humanoid robots can perform tasks at request underscores the immense economic potential he sees in this technology.