Tesla Bot Shows Off Incredible Dance Moves in New Training Simulation

Tesla just released a one-minute video that puts the spotlight on its Optimus humanoid robot, and it is not what you would expect. Instead of assembling car parts or moving boxes, Optimus is dancing. Yes, dancing — complete with fluid motions and fancy footwork. While this may not be its final purpose, the clip shows just how far Tesla’s robotics team has come.

The video landed just a day after Milan Kovac, who leads the Optimus program, shared that his team has been making major strides behind the scenes. What makes this performance even more impressive is how the robot was trained. It was not choreographed by a programmer in the traditional sense. Instead, Tesla used reinforcement learning entirely in a simulation to teach Optimus how to groove.

The third-generation Tesla Bot was unveiled in March 2025 and features some serious upgrades. The hand now has 22 degrees of freedom, up from 11 in earlier versions. It also supports self-recharging and is powered by an artificial intelligence system that learns tasks much like a human would.

Elon Musk believes thousands of Optimus units could be working in Tesla factories soon, taking over tasks that are repetitive, dangerous, or just plain boring. Long term, Musk envisions Optimus becoming a household companion — walking your dog, getting groceries, maybe even babysitting your kids.

The expected cost is around $20,000, but there is talk of a more accessible rental program in the future.

Humanoid robots have been science fiction for decades. But now, with companies like Tesla, Boston Dynamics, Apptronik, and several Chinese developers pushing hard, it is starting to look like science fact. As labor shortages increase and automation demand rises, these robots may soon be part of everyday work — and everyday life.