Tesla Wants You to Train Its Robot: Are You Ready to Do the Robot?

Tesla is hiring workers to help perfect its humanoid Optimus bot, but the task might take millions of hours of data and a whole lot of patience.

• Training Robots with Motion Capture: Tesla is employing people to wear motion capture suits and mimic human movements to train its Optimus humanoid bot, a process that requires vast amounts of data.
• Tough Job, Decent Pay: The role, dubbed “Data Collection Operator,” pays up to $48 per hour and involves wearing VR headsets for extended periods and walking for seven hours a day while carrying up to 30 pounds.
• A Long Road Ahead: Despite the ambitious efforts, experts predict Optimus may need millions of hours of training before it’s factory-ready, with no guarantee of success.

Tesla has always been at the forefront of technology, and now it’s looking to take a big step into the world of humanoid robotics with its Optimus bot. But before Optimus can start helping out in Tesla factories, it needs to learn how to perform basic human tasks—a process that requires extensive training. And who better to teach a robot how to act human than, well, humans?

That’s why Tesla is hiring people to wear motion capture suits and mimic the actions Optimus will need to perform. Dubbed Data Collection Operators, these workers are tasked with walking for up to seven hours a day, carrying 30 pounds, and wearing VR headsets—all to help Optimus understand human movement.

Training Robots Through Motion Capture

Tesla’s strategy of using motion capture to train robots is innovative, though not unheard of. Motion capture has long been used to teach robots human-like movements in a relatively cost-effective manner. However, Tesla is scaling up this process like never before, with over 50 workers hired in the past year alone. These employees are between 5’7’’ and 5’11’’, close to Optimus’ projected 5’8’’ height, so the robot can learn movements with precise accuracy.

Despite the growing team and the high-tech tools, training Optimus is a long and tedious journey. Experts, like Nvidia Research’s Animesh Garg, estimate that it will take millions of hours of data collection before Optimus is fully ready for factory work. Even with such immense efforts, there’s no guarantee that the training will be successful.

A Demanding Job with Decent Pay

Working as a Data Collection Operator for Tesla comes with its challenges. Employees are on their feet for seven hours a day, carrying heavy loads, and wearing VR headsets for extended periods—essentially acting as the robot’s “body double.” But the pay reflects the demands of the job, with salaries reaching up to $48 an hour.

Still, this role may not be for everyone. The long hours and physical demands make it a challenging task, but for those interested in AI development and robotics, it’s an opportunity to be a part of something revolutionary.

Optimus: A Long Road to Reality

Elon Musk has promised that “genuinely useful” Optimus bots will be in production as soon as next year, though even he admits the timeline is uncertain. Optimus faces fierce competition from other robotics firms like Boston Dynamics, Figure, and Apptronik, who are developing their own humanoid robots. Despite Musk’s bold claims, Optimus doesn’t yet appear closer to completion than its rivals.

Tesla’s motion capture initiative shows just how serious the company is about getting Optimus up and running. While the journey might take millions of hours of data, and plenty of determination, the idea of having a fully functional robot in Tesla’s factories is inching closer to reality—albeit slowly.