You can already buy this robot

Will 2026 be the year we start buying humanoid robots as household helpers? At least you’ll be able to buy the 1X Neo then. But I’ll explain why that’s not such a good idea here.

Yes, humanoid robots will be the “next big thing”, if Elon Musk and a few others are to be believed. The Tesla boss sees a market volume of 10 billion robots worldwide and wants to contribute around one million Tesla robots annually in the next few years.

So far, however, we have not seen humanoid robots on the streets or in our homes. Perhaps this will change with this colleague presented by the Norwegian-US company 1X: The robot, named Neo, is due to be delivered from 2026, but can already be ordered in the USA via 1X’s product page.

What the 1X Neo can do

The robot, which is around 1.65 meters tall and weighs just under 30 kilos, can lift weights of up to 70 kilos and transports weights of up to just under 25 kilos. It takes on simple tasks such as tidying up, vacuuming or folding laundry – at least in the future. More on this later.

Available in three colors, the robot costs 20,000 US dollars or 489 dollars per month and will initially be available in the USA. It has a skeleton essentially made of aluminum and a polymer mesh housing under its clothing. It is therefore designed to be as soft as possible so that a person should not injure themselves on contact with it.

It is equipped with a large language model, which means it can hold conversations, manage appointments or create shopping lists. Using cameras (it has camera eyes with 8 MP each) and sensors, it develops a visual memory in order to better adapt to its surroundings and the residents. At 22 dB, it is also relatively quiet.

Initially, the humanoid robot can only perform a handful of tasks (such as opening the door). However, it learns over time and, in my opinion, that’s the big catch.

Humans as guinea pigs and trainers

Neo still needs help at the start. He still has to learn what to do in your household. That wouldn’t be a problem in principle, because we know that he’s still learning. However, it becomes difficult when you find out that the robot doesn’t usually act independently at first, but is remote-controlled.

This is reminiscent of Tesla. There, too, each robot had a more or less hidden person who controlled the humanoid remotely. This is exactly how it should work with Neo: Employees of 1X are to control the robot remotely via teleoperation so that it learns from their actions.

Of course, this teleoperation is only possible if the person controlling the robot can also see into the home. The camera eyes therefore enable the person to direct the robot and teach it new tricks.

A little more privacy please, Mr. Robot!

So if you want it to make your bed, the 1X human with the remote control can see into your bedroom. It can see your kitchen, your living room and possibly you too. So I would like to ask everyone: would you like your 20,000-whip robot to be able to see everything that goes on in your own four walls?

We will probably have to live with the fact that such a robot captures scenes from our lives. Just as we leave our traces on the Internet and reveal our secrets to ChatGPT. But for me at least, it makes a difference whether data might end up somewhere that I can no longer control – or whether someone completely alien is moving through my home in real time.

To be fair, you can control when the robot should perform tasks and you can also set up “no-go areas” that the robot should not enter. But basically, you buy the thing so that it can be at your service everywhere, right? Take a look at the Wall Street Journal video. There you can find out more about what Neo can and cannot do.

To buy a robot or not?

In my opinion, there should be other ways of teaching robots to do housework than via teleoperation. That alone is a reason for me not to buy this guy when he’s available in Germany.

Anyone who says they want to actively help robots learn to help us around the house as quickly as possible can of course go for it. Provided you have the necessary change and don’t mind your privacy, of course.

I’m afraid that despite my enthusiasm for tech, I’m too old-school. Before I treat myself to this robot, I’d rather keep paying for our cleaning lady who cleans up our mess twice a month. As long as she is faster, more versatile and cheaper than Neo, it will stay that way.

Nevertheless, I want you to know that I am convinced that these robots are our future. I really like the concept and the look of the 1X Neo. It would just be nice if it were fully developed.