NEO — The Home Robot from 1X Technologies
The dream of having a helpful, intelligent robot living at home is closer than ever. In 2025, 1X Technologies, a Norwegian robotics company backed by OpenAI, officially unveiled NEO — a humanoid home robot designed to assist people with everyday tasks, offer companionship, and integrate seamlessly into the modern smart home. NEO represents a bold leap in consumer robotics, combining real physical dexterity, conversational intelligence, and a design safe enough for family environments.
About 1X Technologies
1X Technologies was founded in 2014 under the name Halodi Robotics and rebranded to “1X” in 2022. The company’s mission is to build “safe, intelligent androids that can work alongside people.” The firm has already developed an industrial robot called EVE, used in security and logistics, but NEO is its first model designed specifically for private homes. With investments from OpenAI and Tiger Global, 1X is considered one of the most advanced humanoid robotics companies in the world.
What Is NEO?
NEO is a life-sized humanoid robot — about 167 cm (5 ft 6 in) tall and weighing 30 kg (66 lb). It is built using a soft internal structure and tendon-driven actuators, allowing it to move smoothly and safely around humans and pets. NEO’s design emphasizes both function and friendliness: it has expressive digital “eyes,” an approachable human-like form, and natural body language that feels intuitive and comforting rather than mechanical.
Key Features of NEO
- Household Assistance: NEO can perform simple chores such as folding clothes, tidying up, carrying objects, opening doors, or turning off lights. It’s designed to operate in domestic environments where safety and human interaction matter most.
- Conversational Intelligence: Powered by a large language model and advanced speech recognition, NEO can understand complex instructions, hold conversations, and even recall personal preferences and past interactions.
- Vision and Perception: Using cameras, depth sensors, and AI vision systems, NEO can recognize objects, faces, and gestures. This enables it to navigate rooms, identify items, and adapt to new situations.
- Smart Home Integration: NEO connects with smart devices and ecosystems such as Alexa, Google Home, and Apple HomeKit, allowing users to control lighting, thermostats, and appliances through natural speech.
- Adaptive Learning: Each NEO learns from its household’s habits and routines, improving efficiency and interaction over time through continuous software updates from 1X’s cloud system.
- Safe Motion System: The robot operates quietly at around 22 decibels — less than a refrigerator — and is designed with compliance controls to prevent sudden or unsafe movements.
Technical Specifications
- Height: 167 cm (5 ft 6 in)
- Weight: 30 kg (66 lb)
- Battery Life: Up to 4 hours of active use per charge
- Carrying Capacity: 25 kg (55 lb)
- Lifting Strength: Up to 70 kg (154 lb)
- Degrees of Freedom: 22 per hand
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 5G
- Noise Level: 22 dB
- AI System: Cloud-based large language model (LLM) and vision-language model integration
Battery and Charging
NEO is powered by a high-density lithium battery that offers around four hours of active runtime under typical conditions. When the battery runs low, NEO automatically navigates back to its docking station to recharge. It uses a self-aligning magnetic docking mechanism, ensuring that recharging is seamless and fully autonomous.
Design & Build
One of NEO’s most striking aspects is its design. Rather than appearing overly mechanical, it has a soft, organic structure with curved lines and subtle facial animations. Its polymer “skin” and internal tendon system replicate the elasticity of human muscles, resulting in fluid, natural movements. NEO’s quiet actuation system makes it suitable for use in homes, offices, and even hospitals. The available color variants — Tan, Gray, and Dark Brown — allow it to blend into modern interiors without standing out as industrial machinery.
AI Capabilities and Software
1X has integrated an AI brain that allows NEO to learn and improve continuously. It uses large language models (LLMs) similar to those developed by OpenAI, enabling it to understand context, respond emotionally, and adapt behavior based on previous interactions. Combined with computer vision, NEO can “see” its surroundings, identify objects, and plan tasks autonomously. The robot also supports over-the-air (OTA) updates, meaning its intelligence will expand with each new software release.
Connectivity and Control
Users can communicate with NEO using voice commands, touch controls on its body interface, or through a connected mobile app. It integrates seamlessly into Wi-Fi networks and can connect to Bluetooth devices and 5G networks for real-time updates and remote support. Cloud processing enables heavy AI computations to occur off-device, ensuring NEO remains responsive and efficient even with complex commands.
Price and Availability
According to the official 1X Technologies website, NEO is now available for pre-order at $20,000 USD under its Early Access program. This price includes early delivery (expected in 2026) and priority software updates. A flexible subscription model is also planned for future users, offering monthly access without full ownership. While the price may seem high, it positions NEO as the first consumer-grade humanoid robot truly capable of meaningful physical interaction.
Who Is NEO For?
NEO isn’t just a novelty — it’s designed to make real contributions to daily living. Early adopters are expected to include:
- Families seeking a household helper and interactive assistant.
- Elderly individuals who could benefit from reminders, companionship, or assistance with light physical tasks.
- Tech enthusiasts and researchers interested in humanoid robotics and AI integration.
- Smart home users looking to unify home automation through a single physical interface.
Ethical and Social Impact
As humanoid robots like NEO enter homes, discussions around ethics, privacy, and human-robot relationships have gained importance. 1X emphasizes that NEO is built with user privacy in mind — all video feeds and voice data are encrypted, and users can control what data leaves their home network. The company’s goal is to develop robots that work with humans, not replace them, focusing on augmenting productivity and well-being rather than automation for its own sake.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Real humanoid mobility and dexterity for home environments.
- Integrated AI allows natural conversation and adaptive learning.
- High-quality build and safety-oriented design.
- Constantly updated through 1X’s cloud learning system.
Cons:
- High price point ($20,000) limits accessibility for most households.
- Battery life limited to a few hours of active operation.
- Still an early-generation product — real-world performance may vary.
The Future of Home Robotics
NEO symbolizes a shift in how humans will interact with technology. Unlike traditional AI assistants confined to screens or speakers, humanoid robots bring physical presence and emotional intelligence into the home. As technology advances and costs decrease, robots like NEO could eventually become as common as washing machines or smartphones — essential, reliable, and integrated into daily life.
Final Thoughts
NEO is not science fiction anymore — it’s the beginning of a new era of domestic robotics. With its intelligent AI, advanced motion system, and human-centered design, NEO promises to redefine what “smart living” truly means. While it’s currently aimed at early adopters, its introduction marks the moment when helpful, life-sized robots move from futuristic dreams into real-world homes.
NEO — your next companion, assistant, and household partner, built to make the future feel human.
