NEO, a domestic robot developed by 1X, is making strides in household automation with its recent demonstrations of various tasks. From watering plants and fetching drinks to tidying up dishes and cups, NEO’s capabilities showcase the evolving landscape of home robotics. The robot’s journey has been quite a rocky road. It’s seen equal doses of victory and blunder in recent trial runs.
As a result, the robot’s capabilities were measure-tested in a real world home environment. It did a great job watering the plants but it created one big leak. This event brought the continued need for improvement in its fine motor skills to the forefront. Despite serving as a showcase for experimental tech, NEO did succeed in getting a beverage for its human counterpart, which showcased its day-to-day, real-world utility.
Beyond serving drinks, NEO started to clean up dishes and cups. At the same time, though it failed to open difficult-to-grip cupboard handles, human intervention made sure the job was done right. This collaboration between human and robot illustrates the current state of domestic robots, which often require some level of human intervention to achieve their goals.
In perhaps its first effort to clear a table laden with expensive crystal stemware, NEO dropped one. This event appears to be an uncommon fluke in what is otherwise a brilliant setup for ivory for high performance. This incident is a good reminder of the trouble that robots can get into when encountering delicate objects.
Despite these hurdles, NEO proved its effectiveness when it came to folding T-shirts in about 90 seconds. According to the robot’s creator, there’s a ton of room for improvement and it’s getting faster all the time. To address this concern, 1X created a specialized robot glove that enhances NEO’s gripping prowess. This technical achievement has resulted in dramatic gains in performance.
NEO’s capabilities don’t stop at simple tasks, as it is being taught how to fold laundry and load up the dishwasher. The robot is controlled with virtual reality goggles and sensors, which help perform tasks and training. This new creative method paves the way for a closer collaboration and engagement experience between humans and robots as they work side by side within homes.
It’s no surprise then that Bernt Børnich, the Norwegian CEO of 1X, has installed NEO in his own home. He characterizes the overall experience as “a blend” of robot movements on their own and human interactions to help. According to Børnich, “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.”
NEO is preparing for its official launch in homes this fall. The company has said it intends to make a more general-purpose version that can handle a wider variety of tasks. This ambition is indicative of the increasing global interest in domestic robots and how they are expected to be transformative new everyday life technologies.
Chelsea Finn, one of the minds behind the project, expressed the overarching vision for robotics: “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.” On the consumer side, this vision is in line with trends indicating a greater dream for families to have robotic help as well as common belongings.
Bipasha Sen, another principal at 1X, hopes domestic robots will be as ubiquitous as home assistants are today. “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,” she remarked.
NEO is an organization that is always growing and learning and sharpening its toolset. A glance around any home tells me that we are still a ways off from fully autonomous household robots. Though there are still limitations based on current performance, the potential for robots like NEO to greatly improve quality of life on a daily basis is exciting.