Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) CEO Elon Musk says building human-like robot hands is “shockingly difficult,” adding that he has never seen a robot hand demonstrate something as ordinary as driving a screw into wood.
The challenge is significant for Tesla, which plans eventual annual production capacity of one million Optimus robots. Musk has predicted Optimus could eventually account for around 80% of the company’s value.
During a Saturday interview with Tesla Owners Silicon Valley, Musk explained that even signing your name requires extraordinarily precise finger movements.
Driving a self-tapping screw into wood is harder still, he said, because a robot must apply considerable force while maintaining precise control.
“There’s no hand design that I’ve seen, not even a demo, that does that,” Musk said.
He added that touch sensors can become damaged or wear out after repeated movements. Unlike human fingers, robotic components cannot continually repair themselves.
Complex Hands Slow Optimus Production
The engineering difficulties are already affecting Tesla’s manufacturing ambitions, according to TrendForce.
In an October 8 report, the research firm identified Optimus’s complex hands as a major production bottleneck. They still require extensive manual assembly, while manufacturing consistency and sensor reliability need improvement.
Other robot makers are approaching the problem differently.
Boston Dynamics chose four fingers rather than five for its Atlas humanoid robot, explaining that another finger would increase costs and potential failure points without providing enough benefit for industrial tasks.
Musk, by contrast, described Optimus as a general-purpose robot intended to perform a broad range of human activities, including tasks requiring fine finger control.
Citrini Research argued in September that basic humanoid walking and running were largely solved problems, while complex dexterity remained much harder. However, simpler repetitive tasks could become commercially viable before robots achieve human-level capabilities.
Tesla’s Million-Robot Ambition
Tesla said in January it planned to begin producing its third-generation Optimus before the end of 2026, with an eventual annual manufacturing capacity of one million units.
Musk acknowledged Saturday that the initial production ramp would be extremely slow, citing both engineering challenges and the need to establish a supply chain for specialized robot components.
On Kalshi, traders put the chance of Tesla offering Optimus to the public before the end of 2026 at just 7%, with approximately $401,000 traded.
The contract concerns public sales rather than robots deployed internally at Tesla.
Kalshi and Benzinga have an existing data collaboration agreement.
Image: Shutterstock
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