🏠 A Household Robot That’s Almost Human
The dream of having a robot that handles all your chores might finally be here — sort of. Norwegian robotics company 1X Technologies has announced the launch of its humanoid household robot, Neo, priced at around £16,000 or available to rent for £410 per month. Deliveries are expected to begin in 2026.
Standing 1.68 metres tall and weighing 30 kilograms, Neo can already fold clothes, wipe tables, and serve coffee. It walks, turns and moves with surprising agility — a big leap forward for consumer robotics.
But here’s the twist: Neo isn’t as “fully autonomous” as it looks.
🧠 When Neo Gets Stuck, a Human Steps In
According to reports, Neo’s intelligence still has its limits. When it encounters a situation it can’t process — say, identifying an unfamiliar object or navigating clutter — it doesn’t simply freeze. Instead, it calls for help from a remote operator.
That operator, sitting miles away, puts on a VR headset to see through Neo’s cameras and manually guide its actions using motion controls.
In other words, when Neo seems to be gracefully cleaning your living room, it might actually be a remote worker doing the work via robot proxy.
1X Technologies CEO Bernt Børnich put it bluntly in an interview with Engadget:
“Without real household data, we can’t improve the product. Buying Neo means agreeing to that social contract.”
This statement reveals a key trade-off: every home that buys Neo becomes part of the robot’s training ground — feeding real-world data back into its AI model. Your messy kitchen, the lighting in your hallway, even your pet’s movements — all become valuable information.
🔒 The Privacy Trade-Off
To address concerns about privacy, 1X has introduced several safety measures. According to the company’s official site:
- Operators can only connect when authorised by the homeowner.
- Users can create no-access zones.
- Video feeds include blur filters for people’s faces.
- Microphones are muted by default.
While these precautions sound reassuring, cybersecurity experts warn that any footage uploaded to the cloud carries potential risks. A single security flaw or data mishandling could expose private spaces to unwanted eyes.
And even with strict permissions, the idea of an unseen operator potentially steering a robot around your home raises questions about boundaries, trust, and control.
⚙️ A Familiar Pattern: Tech Progress vs Social Comfort
This debate isn’t new. Think back to self-driving cars, which collected vast amounts of public data long before they were truly autonomous. Neo represents a similar leap — bringing data collection and remote assistance into our living rooms.
Whether this “learn as you go” approach will help Neo evolve into a truly independent domestic helper or remain a semi-supervised gadget depends on how society responds. Can convenience outweigh privacy concerns? Or will households hesitate to invite a machine with eyes and Wi-Fi into their daily lives?
☕ The Future of Home Robotics — and the Question of Trust
For now, Neo’s launch sparks a bigger conversation than just automation. It’s about trust, transparency, and how much of our personal space we’re willing to trade for comfort.
When we imagine a robot bringing us our morning coffee, we might also have to ask:
“Am I okay with that same robot sending a video of my living room halfway across the world?”
The era of the domestic robot is coming — but whether Neo becomes a household staple or just another futuristic prototype depends not only on technology, but on how much we’re willing to share to make it work.
Source: 1x tech