Marques Brownlee, technology creator at Marques Brownlee, discusses 1X’s NEO home humanoid robot and the gap between its current abilities and its promises.
NEO is presented as a 5-foot-6, 66-pound humanoid with a four-hour battery and self-charging dock. Its promised chores include folding laundry, washing dishes, watering plants, and tidying up, with potential value for people who have mobility limitations.
Brownlee argues that buyers could reasonably expect NEO to work autonomously, but says Joanna Stern’s demonstrations were remotely operated by a person using VR controls. He points to two scenes labeled autonomous: opening the door for a guest and carrying away an empty cup. He says the difference between those examples and the broader advertised vision is substantial.
NEO is available to preorder for a $500 monthly subscription or a $20,000 purchase, with a $200 refundable deposit and US deliveries projected for the following year. Brownlee compares the learning challenge to self-driving cars: household robots need training across many objects, layouts, and tasks. 1X’s Expert Mode lets a remote operator handle tasks the robot cannot yet do, generating experience that could improve its abilities.
Early buyers may get a robot capable of only a few autonomous tasks and may need to allow remote operators to view their homes. Brownlee also raises concerns about privacy, clumsiness, limited strength, falling, and mistakes involving medication or breakable objects. He sees useful household assistance as a worthy goal, while questioning whether enough people will accept the cost and risks of serving as beta testers.
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Relentless host interviews Bernt Børnich, founder and CEO of 1X, about scaling humanoid robot manufacturing, learning from deployments, and building generally capable home robots.
Host and robotics analysts Scott Walter, Devang Adhyaru of the Humanoid Hub, Gustav, and Merdad examine 1X Technologies’ Neo hand and its mechanical design, demonstrations, and remaining uncertainties.
Dar Sleeper, vice president of design, product, and marketing at 1X, talks with Modern CTO host Joel Beasley about NEO, home robotics, and the path to shipping humanoids.
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