In the grand, often-glacial march of progress, the promise of a household robot butler has been a persistent sci-fi mirage. Yet, Norwegian robotics firm 1X Technologies, armed with a war chest from backers like OpenAI, just stomped on the accelerator. They’ve opened pre-orders for Neo, a 5'6" humanoid robot that wants to do your chores, tell you jokes, and generally make itself useful around the house. And it can be yours for a mere $200 deposit, though the final bill is slightly more… substantial.
Forget vague tech demos in sterile labs. 1X has dropped a slick video showcasing Neo tidying up a living room, fetching items, and interacting with a human in a way that seems alarmingly competent. It’s a bold declaration that the consumer humanoid is no longer a distant dream, but something you can actually add to a shopping cart.
Meet the New Roommate
So, what exactly are you getting for your money? Neo is a bipedal android designed from the ground up to be “soft and safe” for home environments. Standing 5'6" (168 cm) and weighing a surprisingly light 66 lbs (30 kg), its hardware is wrapped in a “deformable 3D lattice” and a machine-washable nylon suit. This isn’t the cold, hard Terminator of cinematic nightmares; it’s designed to be approachable, quiet (operating under 22dB), and entirely pinch-proof.
The design philosophy is clear: make it blend in. Neo is meant to be a utility, not a centerpiece of industrial dread. It can navigate stairs, kneel, and sit, all while carrying up to 55 lbs. Its primary job is to take over the mundane—tidying, organizing, and executing a list of chores you manage via a mobile app. In short, it’s the world’s most over-engineered Roomba with arms.
The Silicon Heart and Tendon Muscles
Peel back the soft exterior, and you find some serious engineering. Neo’s movements are powered by tendon-driven actuators, a system that mimics biological muscles to produce fluid, safe, and precise actions. This is a significant departure from the rigid, high-torque gearboxes found in many industrial robots, and it’s key to Neo’s safe operation around fragile things—like humans.
The brain is just as impressive. At its core is the “1X NEO Cortex,” a compute platform powered by Nvidia’s Jetson Thor system-on-a-chip. This gives Neo up to 2,070 TFLOPS of AI processing power, which it uses to run its generalist AI model, “Redwood AI.” This, combined with a built-in Large Language Model, allows Neo to understand natural language, perceive its environment through dual 8.85MP cameras, and learn from its interactions. It’s not just following pre-programmed routines; it’s designed to understand, reason, and adapt.
The Human-in-the-Loop Loophole
Here’s the clever, if slightly awkward, part of the plan. While Neo is built for “full autonomy,” it doesn’t arrive knowing everything. For tasks it hasn’t mastered, owners can schedule an “Expert Mode” session. This allows a human operator from 1X, physically located in the US, to remotely pilot the robot to complete a task.
“For any chore it doesn’t know, you can schedule a 1X Expert to guide it, helping NEO learn while getting the job done.”
This is both a brilliant training strategy and a pragmatic admission that true general autonomy is still on the horizon. The robot learns by watching a human do its job for it—a business model that feels deeply, uncomfortably familiar. 1X assures users they have full control over these sessions, and the robot’s “Emotive Ear Rings” will change color to indicate when an operator is active.
The Price of Progress
Now, for the number that separates the early adopters from the merely curious. 1X is offering two paths to ownership:
- Early Access Ownership: A one-time payment of $20,000, which includes a 3-year warranty and premium support.
- Monthly Subscription: A more palatable (but perpetually draining) $499/month.
Deliveries are slated to begin in the US in 2026. This pricing puts Neo in the territory of a high-end luxury good or a significant business expense. While competitors like Tesla and Figure AI are focusing on industrial and commercial applications first, 1X is making a direct, audacious play for the consumer market. They’re betting that there are enough people willing to pay a premium to live in the future, today.
Ultimately, Neo represents a fascinating inflection point. It’s an immensely sophisticated piece of hardware, backed by serious AI, being marketed as a home appliance. It’s probably not for you, or me, or anyone on a normal budget. But it’s a powerful statement of intent. The era of the domestic humanoid has officially begun—not with a bang, but with a pre-order page and a fully refundable deposit.
