Following a big AI push and more tech companies surpassing $4 trillion in market cap, 2025’s bingo card also includes humanoid robots. Sort of. This Wednesday, Californian company 1X introduced Neo, a home robot that costs $20,000 and will be able to do daily chores for its owners.
In an almost 10-minute video, the company highlights several functionalities Neo will have, such as organizing your books, opening and closing doors, cleaning your house, bringing you stuff, and more. The company says Neo will help people get assistance with everyday tasks, automate household chores, and bring useful insights into every conversation.
However, the main issue with Neo is that the tech isn’t ready yet. Expected to launch sometime in 2026 in the U.S., most of the demos shown during the keynote are tele-guided, which means someone else is controlling the robot for you, putting into question how much it will be able to learn in just a few months.
Neo’s promise is bold, and it’s just the beginning
1X is not the only company producing humanoid robots. During IFA 2025, BGR interviewed Dr.-Ing. Arne Nordmann, head of engineering at Neura. At the trade show, Neura was highlighting its 4NE1 and MiPA robots, which are focused on performing tasks that are dirty, dull, or dangerous. But unlike 1X, the German company still thinks its technology needs at least a couple more years to go mainstream.
For the Californian company, it decided to follow a different approach. By selling this $20,000 robot, it also wants its first customers to serve as beta testers, because the company believes it’s the best way to make the robot grow, learn, and get better at other tasks.
That said, early birds will be able to schedule calls with the company, so teleoperators will be able to perform chores on the robot’s behalf to make it learn a new task. In the meantime, it will also help the company get more expertise on how Neo can perform daily chores. BGR will let you know as we learn more about Neo and what it will actually be capable of doing once it launches.
