A Tesla VP recently shared some key insights about Optimus’ latest dance demonstrations. Tesla showcased Optimus’ dance moves in two demonstrations this week, with its second demo becoming a shock to many.

Optimus Demonstrations

Optimus’ initial demonstration this week featured the humanoid robot performing a number of rhythmic actions. As per Tesla Vice President of Optimus (Tesla Bot) Milan Kovac, the humanoid robot’s movements were trained in simulation. He also explained that the cable, which could be seen attached at the back of Optimus, was simply there in case of a fall.

Interestingly enough, a follow-up video demonstration featuring Optimus performing even more advanced rhythmic movements was posted by CEO Elon Musk on social media platform X on Tuesday. In this demo, Optimus could be seen performing ballet and modern dance moves. Unlike the previous demonstration, Optimus was completely untethered this time around. Elon Musk stated in a follow-up post on X that Optimus should eventually be able to do ballet movements perfectly. 

What the Optimus VP Says

Kovac has provided some key insights on Optimus’ second demonstration for the week. As per the Tesla executive, the movements of the humanoid robot in the video were in real-time. The demonstration was also fully learned in simulation and zero-shot transferred to real without extra training.

“Here’s a little more, and no cables this time. It’s all real-time speed, zero CGI, fully learned in simulation & zero-shot transferred to real. Besides the fact that it’s fun, we had to make significant improvements to our robot model in Sim, domain randomization and other techniques which will directly transfer to more practical situations as well (robust walking, and agile full-body control in general).

“We also learned quite a few things on our hardware and tuned our power profile. I hope it is getting pretty clear that Tesla is much more than an amazing car (!) company: it’s the place to be for transformational real-world AI,” Kovac wrote in his post on X.

Two Tesla Cybertruck police vehicles accompanied United States President Donald Trump’s motorcade during his visit to Doha, Qatar’s capital, on Wednesday.

The two Tesla Cybertrucks stood out in the motorcade, thanks to their iconic light bar and their imposing presence.

Trump’s Qatar Visit

Qatar is the second of three Middle Eastern countries expected to be visited by Trump this week. So far, Trump has been received warmly, with Qatar providing Air Force One with an eight-fighter jet escort. Saudi Arabia, which hosted Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk earlier this week, also provided Air Force One with a six-fighter jet escort.

Qatar seemed determined to roll out the red carpet for the U.S. President, as hinted at by the curated police escort for Trump’s motorcade to the Amiri Diwan in Doha. Tesla CEO Elon Musk seemed excited to see his vehicles being used in the Middle Eastern country, writing “Cybertrucks escorting @POTUS!” on X.

Cybertrucks Police Vehicles in Qatar

Qatar seems to have a soft spot for the Cybertruck, even before Trump’s visit. In late December, social media posts from the country suggested that two Cybertrucks are being used as part of the Internal Security Force’s (Lekhwiya) patrol fleet. The futuristic all-electric pickup trucks have also been spotted in several other areas of the country.

The Qatar Ministry of Interior also posted a video featuring veteran Tesla tuner Unplugged Performance CEO Ben Schaffer, who noted that UP.FIT will be providing modified Cybertrucks for the country. As could be seen in the video, Unplugged Performance and the Ministry of Interior have signed a Letter of Intent to pave the way for UP.FIT Cybertrucks to be made for Qatar.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently responded positively to a rather underrated business idea for the Cybercab and Optimus.

While the Cybercab is designed for autonomous robotaxi services, the self-driving car, together with Optimus, could also operate as a completely different business.

Cybercab Haulers

Musk’s comment came as a response to financial markets researcher @alojoh, who noted in a post on X that the vast majority of Tesla’s Cybercab fleet will likely be inactive at night due to low transportation demand. During these periods, the robotaxis could be used as autonomous delivery vehicles that can be loaded by Optimus. The humanoid robot can even be inside the Caybercab to facilitate deliveries.

Elon Musk’s response was a simple “exactly,” but it does show that Tesla is considering other businesses that could expand the use of its two potential world-changing products. If one were to look at Tesla’s plans for the Cybercab and Optimus, after all, the idea of “dual use” robotaxis seems very feasible.

All The Necessary Parts

The Cybercab’s design does seem to be tailor-made for a parcel delivery business. The Cybercab is a small car and it only features two seats. It does, however, carry an extremely large trunk—quite too large for such a small vehicle, in a way. Tesla engineers previously stated that the space in the Cybercab’s trunk could be enough to fit two full-size carry-ons and two full-size checked bags at once, or even some bicycles. Needless to say, Tesla seems to have designed the Cybercab to be capable of carrying a lot of cargo–something that’s required for a parcel delivery business.

The Optimus robots that Tesla would have to deploy for this secondary business would not be much of an issue either, considering that the company is planning on building the humanoid robot in extremely large numbers. With Tesla producing millions of Optimus robots and Cybercabs every year, the company should be able to allocate enough resources to offer a reliable and safe parcel delivery service as well.