It looks like a fencing opponent, but this figure in knitwear will soon be arriving in people’s homes to ‘help’ them with chores.
Humanoid robot Neo is now available to preorder for early adopters, with the first models expected to ship in 2026.
For those who have already decked out their home with a Roomba, robot lawnmower, and smart lights offering every type of colour scene, it could be irrestistible.
But there are a few major catches before you depart with the $20,000 (£15,000) price tag.
The first is that while the robot is designed to eventually help you with laundry, cooking, and cleaning, it won’t be all that useful right away.
And it won’t be able to do most things on its own either: the first models will essentially be remotely controlled by a human in a call centre wearing a VR headset.
The company which makes Neo, California-based 1X, say it will be fully autonomous eventually, but first it needs to train in real-world environments.
So the first buyers will be babysitting as it learns how to open cupboards and navigate hallways (those with small children are not eligible to join this first phase of the roll-out).
In a press release from 1X, the company says: ‘From the first day, NEO performs functions like opening doors for guests, fetching items, and turning off the lights at night – and grows in abilities with every software update.’
So if you splash out, you probably won’t be wowed by how efficiently it makes its way through a pile of ironing, at least at first.
Would you buy this £15,000 robot?
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Yes, it sounds like a great investment
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Maybe once it has trained more and can actually wash dishes
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No, it’s too expensive for what it offers
But you can schedule a time for it in ‘expert mode’ to do more complicated tasks like loading a dishwasher, when video from its cameras will be beamed to a handler who will control it.
As it works, it will gather data which the company say will train it to one day be able to do these tasks independently.
A video shared yesterday shows Neo carrying a bag of rubbish, giving a bunch of flowers to a woman, loading a washing machine, and haltingly making its way down stairs. It can’t yet cook, but it can help clean up.
The footage shows it helping out older adults as a ‘companion’, one of the key markets for humanoid helpers as they are more likely to feel isolated or be struggling to keep on top of daily chores.
Neo has waterproof hands, but the rest of it should not get wet, and it also can only be used inside.
Even if it won’t revolutionise your household management immediately, tech enthusiasts could get a kick out of being one of the first to have a robot butler doing its bidding.
They will be able to watch exactly what it does through the companion app, which streams a feed from the cameras in its eyes, controlling it with their voice using the command ‘Hey Neo’.
Not everyone is conviced it’s a good idea, however.
1X say the robot is now light enough at only 30kg that even if it falls over, it shouldn’t cause injury to anyone.
But commenting on a video shared yesterday, one user said: ‘It’s so clever to wrap it in fabric. It will be hard to get any blood stains out, so any rogue robot is easily recognisable.’
To be fair, its knit covering is machine washable.
The robot comes in three colours, and can also be rented for $499 a month, for a minimum six month period. Unfortunately for British robophiles, it’s only available to US customers for now.
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