Selected employees at Tesla’s Grünheide vehicle plant will help train the humanoid robot Optimus by recording their movement patterns during assembly work. According to the outlet, citing an internal communication, the company will use backpack-mounted cameras worn by these workers to capture how they grip tools, handle components, and perform individual work steps. The captured data will train the robot to carry out these tasks independently.
Training Data in Germany
This approach mirrors Tesla’s methods in the United States, where “Data Collection Operators” perform specific movement sequences to train the humanoid robot. The cameras will record the physical movements required for the job. The initiative has not yet been discussed with the works council. Technical systems capable of monitoring employee behavior or performance may be subject to co-determination under German labor law.
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It remains unclear what role Optimus could play at the Grünheide plant in the future. The report does not specify the conditions under which employees will participate in the data collection. While technical systems that monitor performance are subject to co-determination, the cameras are currently focused on recording movement patterns rather than monitoring behavior or performance in real-time.
Reutlingen as a Manufacturing Hub
While Grünheide is set to provide movement data, Tesla’s robotics business is taking shape at another German site: Reutlingen. There, the company is recruiting specialists to develop and manufacture components such as sensors, gearboxes, and actuators, as well as design production equipment and manufacturing processes for future mass production. Tesla acquired a significant part of the site from the insolvent machinery manufacturer Manz in 2025.
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The plans in Grünheide are set against an interesting backdrop. Tesla aims to significantly ramp up production of the Model Y and is hiring additional staff for this purpose. In parallel, battery cell production is scheduled to commence in 2027. For now, growth and automation are advancing simultaneously. Grünheide plant manager André Thierig has previously indicated that additional automation could eventually reduce the number of employees required to produce the same volume of vehicles.
It remains unclear how close Optimus is to mass production. Tesla currently builds the humanoid robot on a pilot production line in Fremont, California, and does not disclose production volumes. The company’s long-term ambitions are far more expansive, with plans for a factory capable of producing up to one million robots per year. Whether Optimus will play a role in that process remains unclear, and Tesla has not announced a timeline for the widespread deployment of humanoid robots at the plant. For now, the only confirmed step is that selected employees will help train the robot by demonstrating how they carry out their daily tasks.