Robot Neo is set to move into its first households soon – but there’s a big catch.
A robot for all household tasks: The company 1X Technologies wants to deliver the first versions of its robot Neo as early as 2026.
A video quickly shows that anyone willing to spend $20,000 will get a robot that, according to its developer, initially produces a lot of “mess” – and an unexpected guest to boot.
Neo: More like a “toddler” than a real household helper
We also had the opportunity to marvel at a humanoid household robot at IFA 2025, where the 4NE-1 from the German company Neura sorted laundry right before our eyes.
Joanna Stern from the Wall Street Journal has the Neo model presented to her by the founder and CEO of 1X Technologies, Bernt Børnich:
At first glance, Neo’s fluid movements are quite fascinating. The robot is expected to move into its first households as early as 2026. But anyone expecting a nimble domestic helper for $20,000 is likely to be disappointed by the current version:
- Neo takes more than a minute to get a bottle of water out of the refrigerator.
- Neo takes over five minutes to put three items in the dishwasher.
- The robot still has a hard time with doors like the refrigerator door.
The reason: Neo still has a lot to learn. The videos that Neo records through its camera eyes serve as training data for the robot’s brain.
Accordingly, journalist Stern also draws a rather sobering conclusion:
Spending the day with Neo was a bit like spending the day with a toddler learning to do things in the world.
And CEO Børnich himself is also dampening the expectations of his potential customers: initially, the quality of the robot’s work will be mixed. In reference to the expression “AI slop,” CEO Børnich uses the term “robotics slop” to describe Neo’s initially poor work.
However, according to the CEO, this is the “most useful kind of slop”: even if Neo doesn’t perform the tasks perfectly at first, it will still take work off the users’ hands.
An unexpected guest moves in too
But that’s not the end of the story about Neo: because anyone who brings such a robot into their home as an early adopter will also have a stranger moving in with them – albeit not in the literal sense.
The Neo you see in the video does not yet move autonomously. In fact, it is remotely controlled by a “tele-operator,” i.e., a person wearing VR glasses.
In this respect, the first Neo owners will have to accept that a human being can observe them through VR glasses, although founder Børnich emphasizes that people can be made unrecognizable in the camera image and no-go areas can be set up for rooms.
But the issue of the human “pilot” highlights a conflict that Børnich refers to as a “social contract.” Because whether with or without a human pilot, 1X Technologies has to collect a lot of personal data so that Neo can gradually improve and produce less “noise.”
In this context, Børnich has a clear expectation of the first buyers:
I think it’s quite important for me to say: if you buy this product in 2026, it’s because you agree to this social contract.
Neo from 1X Technologies also shows that if you want a robot to take care of your housework as early as possible, you not only have to spend a lot of money, but also believe very strongly in the concept.
Early adopters in this area should not have too many privacy concerns.
