Tesla Is Now Hiring Robot Trainers

If you have ever wanted to have a career as a robot trainer, Tesla now has a job for you. For $25.25 to $48 USD/hr, Tesla is looking to hire humans to become robot trainers for the company’s Optimus robot.

A new job posting recently surfaced and sees Tesla looking for humans between 5’7” and 5’11” in height to wear motion capture suits and a virtual reality headset to train Tesla’s humanoid robots. According to Business Insider, they are to wear these pieces “while performing designated movements and actions based on project requirements.” The job listing is for Palo Alto, California and is a night shift role that explains that those employed will be required to upload data daily, while submitting reports about robot observations and even debug the program from time to time. Since the role requires additional wearable equipment, the candidate is required to “walk 7+ hours a day,” while also carrying up to 30lbs of equipment.

Three different shifts are available, starting from 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., 4 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. and 12 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. The job posting also features a disclaimer that reads, “Note that the use of VR headsets or working in a virtual environment can be disorienting and uncomfortable for some people, which can result in VR sickness symptoms.” It also said that candidates “must have the ability to stand, sit, walk, stoop, bend, reach, crouch and twist throughout the day.” Those looking to apply must also have the ability to drive and “travel up to 25% of the time and daily regional driving.” According to the job posting, Tesla is willing to pay $25.25 – $48.00/hour + cash and stock awards + benefits.” Candidates may also be required to work overtime “when needed,” as Tesla appears to go for a hard push in the robot training program. In the past year, Tesla has reportedly hired over 50 workers for these robot training positions.

Animesh Garg, a senior researcher at Nvidia Research, told Business Insider that the Optimus robot would likely require millions of hours to data before it is fully able to work in Tesla factories, “The amount of data collection you’d need would easily be half a billion dollars and the real question is ‘Even if you do that, do you succeed?’ Because there is no guarantee of success.” Those interested can check out the job posting here.