Tesla’s effort to scale its Optimus humanoid robot is running into manufacturing, software and labor problems as the company targets more than 1,000 units a week by the end of 2026. Reporting cited by Ars Technica says current production has reached hundreds per week, but newly built robots often need immediate repairs.
The hands and forearms are a particular bottleneck. Workers must assemble more than 100 small components, while unreliable touch sensors prompted Tesla to design a replaceable sensor glove. The robots also remain far from general-purpose autonomy: they are reportedly programmed for specific tasks in controlled settings rather than adapting broadly on their own.
Training data has created a separate challenge. Tesla asked factory employees to wear motion-capture suits while doing physical work, but some objected because the robots could eventually replace them. The company shifted collection to dedicated teams and training hubs. These issues are not unique to Tesla, yet they show the gap between a humanoid demonstration and a dependable product that can be built quickly, trained safely and accepted by the people working beside it.