According to the latest report from Business Insider, Tesla's secret lab in Palo Alto, California is conducting a large-scale data collection effort to train its optimized robot — Optimus. Although these robots currently perform somewhat clumsily, there is a team working hard to ensure their technological progress.

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Image source note: The image is AI-generated

The core of this lab is a team consisting of dozens of "data collectors," who repeatedly perform various daily activities and record hundreds of times each day. These data collectors wear helmets equipped with five cameras and backpacks weighing 40 pounds, recording actions such as lifting a cup, wiping a table, and organizing car parts. Sometimes, they are even asked to perform strange tasks like "chicken dance" or moving in a dance-like manner.

A former data collector described the job as similar to conducting experiments under a microscope, with repetitive and monotonous tasks that often require performing the same actions for long periods. In each eight-hour shift, they need to generate at least four hours of usable footage. If their movements are considered "not human enough," they may face penalties.

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, has high hopes for the Optimus robot and plans to produce 5,000 of these robots by the end of the year. Nevertheless, recent demonstrations have not made a good impression, as the robots have slow reactions and uncoordinated movements. To showcase the robot's capabilities to investors, they are usually remotely controlled to ensure smoother demonstrations.

Tesla's laboratory is not only aimed at improving robot performance but also seeks to push technological breakthroughs through extensive data training. Although the current training content is simple, they are working to lay the foundation for future home robots.

Key Points:

✅ Tesla's secret lab is collecting human behavior data to train its optimized robot, Optimus.   

✅ Data collectors repeat daily tasks multiple times each day, including wiping tables and lifting cups.   

✅ Musk plans to produce 5,000 Optimus robots by the end of the year, but current demonstrations have not been impressive, and remote control is typically used to ensure smooth performances.