Tesla app assets appear to reveal Optimus Gen 3 design
Three dimensional robot assets allegedly found inside Tesla’s Android app appear to show an unreleased Optimus Gen 3 alongside the existing Optimus V2.5. The files offer a possible first look at Tesla’s next humanoid design, but they are not photographs of hardware and Tesla has not confirmed their authenticity or accuracy.
In a YouTube video published on September 23, The X Trajectory says the assets were extracted from the app installation package, where Tesla stores models used by its mobile software. According to the channel, the files were subsequently loaded and rendered inside Tesla’s own app rather than viewed only through external modeling software.
That test supports the claim that the assets came from Tesla software, although it does not establish whether the Gen 3 model reflects a current engineering configuration, an early design study or a simplified visualization. Tesla had issued no announcement or correction at the time covered by the video.
A cleaner body with substantial mechanical questions
The apparent Tesla Optimus Gen 3 has enclosed joints, tapered lower legs, compact feet, thicker forearms, narrower wrists and a largely seamless torso shell. Visible cables and exposed mechanisms found on earlier Optimus versions are absent from the model.
The X Trajectory interprets the thicker forearms and slimmer wrists as evidence that Tesla may have relocated hand actuators into the forearm, potentially using tendon driven fingers. It also argues that the enclosed joints could reduce exposure to dust and lower the risk of clothing or fingers being caught around moving mechanisms.
Those are plausible readings of the geometry, not confirmed engineering details. A mobile app asset cannot show actuator placement, materials, sealing performance or the construction of the torso. Simplifying surfaces and removing small components is also common when preparing a model for real time rendering on a phone.
Ashok Elluswamy, identified in the video as Tesla’s AI lead, previously said Gen 3 was designed to match human appearance as well as human functionality and dexterity. The smoother exterior shown in the app asset is consistent with that stated goal, but offers no evidence about manipulation performance, locomotion or reliability.
Production claims remain largely unverified
The timing has drawn attention because Elon Musk said during an April earnings call that Tesla was reluctant to reveal V3 while competitors could examine its technology frame by frame. He added that there was value in withholding new technology until it was close to production. The app discovery was not an intentional public demonstration, however, and cannot by itself establish production readiness.
The video also cites reports of supplier audits in China and an initial order covering roughly 5,000 robots. It says Chinese media described Tesla teams visiting suppliers of joint modules, actuators and structural components. None of those figures are presented as verified Tesla data.
A further report cited by the channel claims that an unidentified trial line was assembling several dozen units per day across three shifts, with roughly half emerging as acceptable. The video explicitly describes this account as unconfirmed, notes that the publication did not identify the factory and cautions that the reported acceptance rate could be measured before or after rework.
Tesla’s next earnings call, expected in October according to the video, could provide a clearer indication of the Gen 3 schedule. Until Tesla shows physical hardware or releases engineering and production details, the app model is best treated as a credible design clue rather than an Optimus Gen 3 reveal.
Source: youtube.com – The X Trajectory
