Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, is back in the spotlight — this time for showing off an unexpected talent: dancing.
A video posted by Tesla CEO Elon Musk on X has gone viral, featuring the robot moving with surprisingly lifelike rhythm. In the clip, Optimus performs a short dance routine with smooth, human-like motions, sparking both wonder and skepticism across social media.
Musk initially shared the video without a caption, later adding, “This is real, real-time.” His assertion set off a flurry of online debate, with many users questioning whether the footage was genuine or AI-generated. “Is this real or CGI?” one commenter asked.
Grok, the AI chatbot built into X, responded by backing Musk’s claim. It pointed to past public appearances by Optimus, such as the ‘We, Robot’ event in October 2024 and Tesla’s latest robot update from April 2025, as context for the video’s authenticity.
Watch on X
Tesla first introduced the Optimus concept at its 2021 AI Day. At the time, there was no functioning model — just a person in a robot suit dancing onstage. But the idea quickly began to take shape.
By 2022, early prototypes demonstrated basic movement, including walking and arm motions. A year later, the second-generation Optimus could sort colored blocks, hold yoga poses, and even manage simple dance routines. Tesla also upgraded the robot’s dexterity, outfitting its hands with 11 degrees of freedom, with plans to double that in future versions. Musk has called Optimus one of Tesla’s most transformative projects. Unlike traditional robots that rely on rigid programming, Optimus is designed to learn autonomously from real-world experience and simulation — enabling it to adapt to complex tasks and environments.
Musk has also positioned the robot as a tool for sustainability, envisioning it taking over labor-intensive roles to reduce the burden on humans.
Though doubts remain about its current skill set, the new video adds to growing proof that Optimus is evolving — and now, it seems, developing a sense of rhythm too.
