Optimus 3 is coming? Tesla's brand new "golden Optimus Prime" information leaked, human-like hands become the focus

Has Tesla's humanoid robot—Optimus—evolved yet again?

Just now, after Salesforce founder Marc Benioff toured Tesla’s offices, he casually shared a video of a brand new Optimus robot—the “Golden Optimus”—on social media platform X, instantly igniting the tech world.

“Lead the way to get some Coke.” Upon hearing the command, the gold-colored Optimus robot slowly walked toward the break room, provided humans made way for it…

This Optimus adopts a brand new golden exterior design, different from any previous version seen, bringing a completely new and premium visual experience.

The most eye-catching feature in the video is Optimus’ hand design. Compared to previous versions, the new hand is more refined and human-like.

Image source: X platform, leaks by Marc Benioff and netizens, same below

Although its walking gait still has a certain mechanical feel, its understanding of commands and initial autonomous actions amazed Benioff:

The physical intelligence revolution has begun! Robots that can replace $200,000-$500,000 worth of human labor are here—this is a productivity nuclear-level breakthrough.

“This could be the design prototype of Optimus 3. The hand is beautiful—just like a human hand.” Netizens were also amazed, but also pointed out that the robot’s AI seems a bit slow in reasoning.

The video shows that the robot did not respond immediately after receiving the human’s command. It wasn’t until Elon Musk, who was standing nearby, reminded everyone to clear a path and provide enough space that it began to execute the instruction…

Regarding Optimus’ hands, Musk previously explained: “In the next-generation Optimus prototype, the actuators have been relocated to the forearm, just like in humans. They operate the fingers with cables—again, like a human hand.”

This design is very similar to the biomechanical structure of the human hand. Most of the human hand’s muscles are located in the forearm, controlling finger movement via tendons. The detailed hand of the “Golden Optimus” closely aligns with the technical roadmap described by Musk.

Compared with the Optimus version in July’s popcorn-selling video, not only the hand, but also the “Golden Optimus” has a smoother structure and appearance in the waist and knee joints, greatly reducing its mechanical feel.

Combined with Musk revealing two months ago that Optimus V3 would be launching soon, with flexibility “on par with humans,” these details further fuel speculation that this is an early prototype of Optimus 3rd generation.

A video shared earlier this year by former Tesla VP Milan Kovac also showed Optimus moving more smoothly and human-like, including swinging arms, straightening knees, and rolling from heel to toe. These all indicate continued optimization in physical motion control.

Accelerating Technical Evolution, Dexterous Hand Reaches 22 Degrees of Freedom

Tesla’s dexterous hand technology has undergone three generations of evolution. The first generation used a bionic five-finger structure, with 11 degrees of freedom in a single hand, 6 of which were active.

By the third generation, the degrees of freedom increased to 22, with active degrees rising from 6 to 17, and the drive system was changed from internal to external.

The transmission system was upgraded to a hybrid solution of planetary gearboxes + lead screws + tendon rope, using lead screws instead of worm gears and tendon rope instead of torsion springs, greatly improving accuracy, load capacity, and transmission efficiency.

80% of Tesla's Value Will Come from Optimus

The appearance of the golden Optimus is no coincidence. Just a few days ago, Tesla released the “Master Plan Part 4,” announcing a bigger bet on a more disruptive field: bringing artificial intelligence into the physical world.

Wallstreet News wrote that Musk said on X that in the future, about 80% of Tesla's value will come from the Optimus robot, rather than the traditional automotive business.

This signals a comprehensive transformation of Tesla from an automotive company into an "AI + Robotics" giant. Tesla emphasized, “We are building products and services that bring AI into the physical world,” and has already spent nearly twenty years laying the groundwork for this.

When Will It Be Mass Produced?

Musk once revealed that Tesla plans to produce over 1,000 Optimus units in 2025, and by 2026, this number will soar to 50,000 units.

Tesla’s goal is to make Optimus a “universal worker” in industrial settings, deployed at around $30,000 each, for tasks such as precision manufacturing and logistics handling.

However, achieving this goal is not easy. Tesla must overcome challenges in large-scale mass production and cost control, especially in the initial stage.

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