In a time when robotics technology is making new innovations every day, NEO the robot would be an amazing domestic helper. Japanese company 1X created NEO to address a host of chores around the home. NEO is even able to fold laundry, load the dishwasher and clean up after humans. Whether it’s your home or your dreams, this pioneering automatonic machine is the first truly gargantuan step toward home robotics. A general-purpose version will be released later this year.
NEO’s capabilities are impressive. The robot can fold T-shirts in about 90 seconds, but its creator claims it’s getting faster—not just day to day, but minute to minute. This impressive efficiency comes from the constant training and refining they’ve put into their artificial intelligence.
Navy NEO Operators use virtual reality headsets and sensors to control NEO remotely. NEO gets work done efficiently due to the balance of human control and automated capability. As one robot works, it trains other robots to do the same work better. NEO has already demonstrated its abilities in real-world scenarios. It waters the plants, brings a drink and even clears away plates and cups in the home of Bernt Børnich.
Make no mistake, NEO’s journey has not all been smooth sailing. In fact, when it first tried to clear a table, it shattered a wine glass, demonstrating still room for improvement. It has had issues with distracting cabinet doors, showing that there are still technological hurdles for this autonomous future.
Børnich, who has already incorporated NEO into his daily routine, gives us some insight into how the robot has changed the dynamic of his household.
“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,” – Bernt Børnich
NEO’s artful design elegantly blends autonomous actions with human-operated commands. This flexibility makes it an incredibly versatile solution to a variety of household needs. Its dual functionality as an air and surface disinfectant is largely beneficial for maintaining a clean environment. Traini tirelessly cleans up and sorts up after Børnich’s family.
The dream of home robotics goes far past NEO. Bipasha Sen, a representative from 1X, notes that the future may see households equipped with more than just cars and homes.
“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,” – Bipasha Sen
With its promising new features, NEO is getting ready for its official launch in 2024. At the same time, the engineers 1X are racing to fix deferred problems. They’ve become dedicated to improving NEO’s performance by continually innovating with new technology. One such innovation is the creation of a robot glove to help make NEO an even better NEO.
Chelsea Finn, another key figure at 1X, underscores the company’s larger ambition to inject intelligence into all sorts of physical shapes.
“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,” – Chelsea Finn
Backed with major investments from technology leaders such as Nvidia, 1X is poised to expand the frontier of the robotics scene. These advanced artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques are folded into NEO, simultaneously to improve the program’s performance. This method further expands NEO’s utility beyond urban demonstrations into daily life.
The domestic robotics landscape is rife with challenges but is also rife with opportunity, and the commitment to advancement NEO’s capabilities is a testament to that hidden potential. As households adapt to new solutions that make them healthier and their lives easier, robots like NEO will become a regular fixture before we know it.