NEO is a humanoid robot developed by tech company, 1X. If successful, it will be one of the first truly multi-purpose domestic bots to hit homes. NEO is configured to address common household chores such as folding laundry, loading dishwashers and vacuuming homes. It hopes to deliver next year though! Creators at 1X express confidence that issues encountered during its development will be resolved by the time it reaches consumers.
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, is a rabid supporter of NEO. That’s because he thinks it can develop a world-changing, earth-healing, forest-fostering market. Compared to Musk’s record-breaking pay packet of $1 trillion, it’s downright pitiful. It’s fueled by his audacious mission to get one million NEO robots sold within the next ten years. This unprecedented financial backing is a testament to the faith that major industry players have in the future of domestic robotics.
NEO has certainly shown its promise, despite some early bumps. On NEO’s first try at doing a chore, the AR robot ended up shattering a wine glass while trying to clean off a table. It has proven adept at the ancillary tasks like brewing coffee in a slow but jerk-free manner and balling socks up. On top of all that, NEO is able to water plants, retrieve drinks and pick up dirty dishes and cups.
For all its advanced technologies, NEO is still not at a point where it can fully operate without human oversight. There are moments when it just loses its way and requires a remote operator to help steer it through activities. This quality highlights the importance of human intervention as NEO continues to grow and learn.
Bernt Børnich, the Norwegian CEO whose adoption of NEO has seen it installed in his own home, is in no doubt about its potential. And with the new robot to hoover, there’s less tidying up to do—all his magical adventures just fit more smoothly into their normal life. Børnich noted,
“We have a lot of data so a lot of the stuff in my home can get automated but periodically someone kind of steps in and helps.”
The feedback indicates that NEO is quickly becoming a must-have tool for productive household management. Human input is required to make it perform at its highest potential.
1X has created a robotic glove to enhance NEO’s capabilities. This new feature is only the latest piece of an overall effort to improve NEO’s capabilities, as it prepares to roll into homes later this year. Through putting NEO into real-world structured and unstructured environments, the company aims to continue to develop its artificial intelligence and capabilities even further.
Besides chore bomb duties, NEO can fold T-shirts in under 90 seconds, proving its robot prowess. Similar to our vision, Chelsea Finn from 1X summed up why we do this perfectly, saying,
“We want to be able to breathe intelligence into any sort of physical embodiment, whether that’s a humanoid robot or even something that looks closer to an appliance.”
This view was emblematic of an optimistic future where robots like NEO might one day be common fixtures of everyday life, helping people with all types of household tasks.
The excitement surrounding NEO goes beyond ordinary users. Bipasha Sen from the Consumer Insight Practice pointed out changing consumer aspirations when she said,
“Today people have two aspirations – a car and a house. In the future they’ll have three aspirations – a car and house and a robot.”
There’s a buzz of enthusiasm for bringing these robots into our everyday world. Consumers are going to start looking at domestic robots—like NEO—as indispensable members of their homes.
As 1X prepares for NEO’s commercial debut, the technological landscape has its focus firmly on advanced AI. Armed with significant financial support from players such as Nvidia, the robot becomes one of the leading contenders in the burgeoning domestic robotics market. While the expectations are high, NEO has the potential to radically alter the way households function — automating menial tasks and improving self-sufficiency and productivity.