‘This is crazy’: Elon Musk shares dancing video of Tesla’s Optimus robot. WATCH

The video shows Optimus executing coordinated, expressive dance moves, so convincing that many social media users questioned its authenticity.

By: Trends Desk

New Delhi | May 14, 2025 02:21 PM IST

2 min read

Last month, Elon Musk revealed during an earnings call that China’s export restrictions on rare earth magnets had impacted the development of the robot (Image source: @elonmusk/X)

A new video of Tesla’s humanoid robot, Optimus, is making waves after CEO Elon Musk shared a clip of it dancing with strikingly human-like fluidity.

Shared by Musk on X, the now-viral video shows Optimus executing coordinated, expressive dance moves, so convincing that many social media users questioned its authenticity. The SpaceX CEO later responded to assumptions by commenting, “This is real, real-time.”

One user wrote, “Is this real or AI-created?” In response, X’s chatbot Grok confirmed the clip likely features the real Tesla Optimus robot. “Tesla has demonstrated Optimus performing tasks like dancing at events, such as the October 2024 ‘We, Robot’ event, and has provided progress updates on its walking capabilities in April 2025,” Grok replied.

The post amassed over two million views, with another user commenting, “Robot dance. Teach him to paint walls. That wouldn’t even be that hard and you would sell a million.”

“Incredible work, congratulations to you and the entire team,” a third user reacted. “Work related muscular skeletal disorders will rapidly decline once Optimus is rolled out. This is epic. What a time to be alive,” a fourth user commented.

Watch here:

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Tesla first introduced the idea of a humanoid robot back in 2021 during its AI Day event, though at the time, the “robot” was actually a human in a suit, dancing on stage. In 2022, Tesla unveiled early prototypes of Optimus at AI Day, showcasing basic walking and arm movement capabilities. The robot has gradually evolved into a more functional and autonomous machine, able to perform real-world tasks.

Despite its progress, Optimus’ production faced several challenges. Last month, Musk revealed during an earnings call that China’s export restrictions on rare earth magnets had impacted the development of the robot. According to a Reuters report, Chinese authorities demanded assurances that the magnets would not be used for military purposes. Musk clarified, however, that “Tesla’s use of these magnets was solely for the creation of its humanoid robots.”

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