1X Technologies Launches NEO Humanoid Robot for Home Automation

The robotics world just got a new player in the home automation game. 1X Technologies unveiled NEO, their first humanoid robot designed specifically for household tasks. Standing at about 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 165 pounds, NEO moves with a natural gait, thanks to its advanced actuators and AI-driven balance system.

1X, a Norwegian startup founded in 2022 by former OpenAI researchers, has been pushing boundaries in general-purpose robotics. Backed by investors like OpenAI and Tiger Global, the company aims to create robots that integrate seamlessly into daily life, handling chores from folding laundry to cooking simple meals. NEO builds on their earlier EVE model, which focused on industrial applications, but shifts the focus to domestic environments with improved dexterity and safety features.

What sets NEO apart is its modular design, allowing users to swap components for customization. Powered by a vision-language-action model, it learns from demonstrations and adapts to new tasks without extensive retraining. Early demos show it navigating cluttered kitchens and interacting with humans intuitively, a step toward making robots true companions rather than tools.

This launch comes amid a surge in humanoid robotics, with competitors like Tesla's Optimus and Figure's models racing to market. For 1X, NEO represents a bold bet on the future of home life, where robots handle the mundane so people can focus on what matters.