Mercury vs Optimus
Side-by-side comparison of Mercury (UT Austin, Meka Robotics, and Apptronik) and Optimus (Tesla) — specs, pricing, Robolist Trust Score, and verified deployments. Updated daily.
 MercuryhumanoidUT Austin, Meka Robotics, and Apptronik13.3Trust Score |  OptimushumanoidTesla13.3Trust Score | |
|---|---|---|
| Layer 1: Identity & Trust | ||
| Year First Available (values differ) | 2018 | 2022 |
| Verified Deployments | 0 Deployments | 0 Deployments |
| Layer 2: Operational | ||
| Price Range (USD) (values differ) | US$150,000 | US$25,000 |
| Battery / Shift Runtime | 8 hrs | 8 hrs |
| Availability Status | ACTIVE | ACTIVE |
| Layer 3: Category Specific | ||
| Physical Form Factor | ||
| Height (values differ) | 1180 mm | 173 mm |
| Weight (values differ) | 55 kg | 57 kg |
| Mobility Type (values differ) | — | bipedal |
| Humanoid Subtype (values differ) | — | full bipedal |
| Walking Speed (values differ) | 1.2 m/s | 2.2 m/s |
| Running Capable (values differ) | — | run capable |
| Terrain (values differ) | indoor | both |
| Payload & Dexterity | ||
| Payload (values differ) | 1 kg | 9 kg |
| Payload (Peak) (values differ) | — | 68 kg |
| Total DOF (values differ) | 19 | 75 |
| Arm DOF (values differ) | 17 | 28 |
| Hand DOF (values differ) | — | 22 |
| Bimanual Coordination (values differ) | — | full bimanual |
| Compute & AI | ||
| Onboard Compute (values differ) | Jetson Orin Nano SUPER 8GB | Tesla AI5 chip |
| Compute Platform (values differ) | — | Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) computer |
| Programming (values differ) | code_python, code_cpp, no_code_gui | code_python, proprietary_app |
| Battery & Power | ||
| Runtime | 8 hrs | 8 hrs |
| Software | ||
| SDK Languages (values differ) | code_python, code_cpp, no_code_gui | code_python, proprietary_app |
| ROS Support (values differ) | Yes | ros2 vendor |
| Open API | Yes | Yes |
| Reliability | ||
| Deployment Maturity (values differ) | — | prototype |
| IP Rating (values differ) | — | IP68 FOREARM TO HANDS & FOOT |
| Commercial | ||
| Price (USD) (values differ) | $150,000 | $25,000 |
| Price Tier (values differ) | — | 20-40K |
| Pricing Model (values differ) | — | capex |
| Applications (values differ) | research, education, service, teleoperation | logistics, healthcare, domestic use |
Insufficient data for full comparison
The following fields had no data for any of the selected robots: Manufacturer Country, Stair Climbing, Arm Reach, Grip Strength, Manipulation Repeatability, Tool Use, VLM Capable, Foundation Models, Imitation Learning, Teleoperation, Battery Capacity, Charging Time, Charging Method, Battery Swap, Avg Power Consumption, Force-Limited Arms, Fall Recovery, Fall Detection Response, Emergency Stops, Human Detection Method, Safe Speed Near Humans, Simulation Platforms, Air-Gap Capable, MTBF, Task Success Rate, Noise Level, RaaS / Month, Developer Unit Price, Delivery Lead Time, Warranty, Production Pilots
About this comparison
Mercury vs Optimus compares two robots in the humanoid category. All data is sourced from manufacturer spec sheets, verified deployments, and third-party filings; see our methodology for how the Robolist Trust Score is calculated.