In a new tweet released yesterday through Tesla's official channels, it was announced that Optimus Gen 3, the third generation of the humanoid robot being developed by the company, has entered the pilot production stage at Tesla's plant in Fremont, California. This marks another important step in Elon Musk’s ambitious initiative to integrate intelligent robots, human-sized and human-looking, as an integral part of the future workforce.
The tweet, based on an update on the company's investor website, was accompanied by new images of the robot, some of which showed Optimus standing upright in an active posture. However, it wasn’t the financial update that became the topic of conversation—but rather the robot's new appearance. Social media users began sharing close-ups from the images and pointed out that the shoulders, arms, and fingers had undergone significant changes—possibly indicating upgrades in mechanical and functional design.
According to them, the new model appears more "anatomical," with less rounded shoulders and a joint structure resembling a biological one. Some X (formerly Twitter) users even speculated that the changes were made to improve range of motion, grip precision, and the ability to perform delicate tasks—a major challenge in the field of humanoid robotics.
Optimus was first introduced in 2021, initially announced as a future project—almost a science fiction dream. Since then, Tesla has gone through two generations of development, presented at the company’s annual events. Each new version demonstrated dramatic progress in structure, movement, and control capabilities. Optimus Gen 2, presented in 2023, amazed many when it walked steadily, picked up objects, and even danced in sync with a group of other robots.
According to Musk, the long-term goal of the project is to produce general-purpose robots that can be integrated into factories, logistics centers, and even private homes. The so-called “universal worker” would be capable of performing physical labor, assisting in maintenance, or even functioning as a personal assistant.
The beginning of pilot production is a critical stage—it signals the transition from prototype to sustainable development and increases the likelihood that the first robots will begin operating within Tesla's own system, possibly even before the end of the year.
Alongside the excitement, ethical and economic questions also arise: What will happen to the labor market when intelligent machines replace human workers? How will robot rights be regulated—if at all? And what impact will they have on fields such as security, elder care, and education? These questions remain unanswered. But with Optimus Gen 3, it seems that Tesla is narrowing the gap between science fiction and reality—ushering in a new era in which human-height robots, with human-like posture and advanced grasping abilities, may become the workers of the future.