\n<\/p>\n
Norwegian robotics startup 1X plans to start early tests of its humanoid robot, Neo Gamma, in \u201ca few hundred to a few thousand\u201d homes by the end of 2025, according to the company\u2019s CEO, Bernt B\u00f8rnich.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeo Gamma is going into homes this year,\u201d B\u00f8rnich told TechCrunch in an interview at Nvidia GTC 2025. \u201cWe want to invite early adopters in this year to help us develop this system. We want it to live and learn among people, and to do that, we need people to take Neo into their home and help us teach it how to behave.\u201d<\/p>\n
In recent months, the hype around humanoid robots for the home seems to have reached new heights. <\/p>\n
Figure, a Bay Area-based competitor to 1X with an active social media presence, announced in February that it would also begin home tests of its humanoid robots in 2025<\/a>. Weeks later, Bloomberg reported Figure was in talks for a $1.5 billion fundraise at an eye-watering $40 billion valuation<\/a>. OpenAI \u2014 a 1X investor \u2014 is also reportedly exploring building its own humanoid robots.<\/p>\n But putting heavy metal robots into peoples\u2019 homes raises the stakes for the nascent industry. It\u2019s not unlike autonomous vehicle startups putting their robotaxis on the road. It can turn south \u2014 quickly<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, B\u00f8rnich is quite open about the fact Neo Gamma is a long way off from commercial scaling and autonomy.<\/p>\n While Neo Gamma uses AI to walk and balance, the robot is not fully capable of autonomous movements today. To make in-home tests possible, B\u00f8rnich says 1X is \u201cbootstrapping the process\u201d by relying on teleoperators \u2014 humans in remote locations that can view Neo Gamma\u2019s cameras and sensors in real time, and take control of its limbs.<\/p>\n These in-home tests will allow 1X to collect data on how Neo Gamma operates in the home. Early adopters will help create a large, valuable dataset that 1X can use to train in-house AI models and upgrade Neo Gamma\u2019s capabilities.<\/p>\n While backed by OpenAI, B\u00f8rnich says 1X trains its core AI technology in-house today. The company also \u201coccasionally\u201d co-trains AI models with partners, including the aforementioned OpenAI and Nvidia.<\/p>\n Collecting data from microphones and cameras inside of peoples\u2019 homes and then training AI models on it raises a whole host of privacy concerns, of course. In an email to TechCrunch, a company spokesperson said customers can decide when a 1X employee can view Neo Gamma\u2019s surroundings \u2014 whether for auditing or teleoperation. <\/p>\n Unveiled in February<\/a>, Neo Gamma is the first bipedal robot prototype that 1X plans to test outside of the lab. Compared to Neo Beta, its predecessor, Neo Gamma features an improved onboard AI model, and a knitted nylon body suit that aims to reduce potential injuries from robot-to-human contact.<\/p>\n During a demo at GTC, 1X showcased Neo Gamma\u2019s ability to do some basic tasks in a living room setting \u2014 partially powered by a human operator. The robot vacuumed, watered plants, and walked around the room without bumping into people or furniture. However, it wasn\u2019t flawless. At one point the robot started shaking, then collapsed into B\u00f8rnich\u2019s arms. A 1X employee blamed spotty Wi-Fi in the conference hall and low battery.<\/p>\n Much like Figure\u2019s plans, details about 1X\u2019s early adopter program are far from clear. 1X has yet to reveal its go-to-market strategy for Neo Gamma, although it does have a waitlist on its website<\/a>. It\u2019s also hard to imagine how using Neo Gamma at home will work without teleoperation. The spokesperson said 1X will provide a \u201cmore thorough explanation\u201d at a later date.<\/p>\n While a few hundred or thousand people might get to try an early, human-assisted version of Neo Gamma this year, it seems we\u2019re still many years away from autonomous humanoid robots that you can just buy off the shelf.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n