Tesla’s Optimus robot production remains difficult

Tesla is reportedly struggling to meet its goal of producing 20,000 Optimus robots per week. The Information reports that Tesla made “several hundred robots a week” last month, after repurposing its Model S and Model X production lines for Optimus earlier this year.

The change has reportedly brought manufacturing problems, including difficulty aligning parts precisely. The Information says Optimus parts are smaller than car parts and must fit together more precisely. Even the “V3” robots Tesla is currently producing have hands and forearms with more than 100 screws and other small components that workers must assemble by hand.

The robots are lighter and have more cameras than previous versions. They do not yet have a “sensing glove” under development, which is intended to make replacing touch sensors easier without replacing the entire hand.

Optimus robots are still being used internally for specific tasks in limited areas, rather than more broadly or through remote teleoperation. Tesla reportedly plans to lease the robots at first instead of selling them, and use training data gathered from them to improve the machines.

Meanwhile, some other developers have shifted toward less lifelike robot designs. Earlier this month, Chinese regulators reportedly began holding back IPO listings for humanoid robotics companies.