1X wants to test humanoid robots in private households before 2025
1X wants to bring its humanoid robot Neo Gamma into households. Tests are due to begin soon, although the robot is not yet able to act sufficiently autonomously
That's how you want it: the Neo Gamma robot serves at the breakfast table.
(Image: 1X)
The Norwegian robotics company 1X has ambitious plans and wants to carry out tests with its humanoid robot Neo Gamma in "a few hundred to a few thousand" households by the end of 2025. Bernt Børnich, CEO of 1X, said at the Nvidia GTC 2025 that, despite the tests, it will still be several years before humanoid robots that can perform household tasks go on sale.
1X is taking a different path to Chinese robot manufacturer Unitree, for example. Although Unitree is already well advanced in the development of humanoid robots, it announced on Monday that it does not intend to build and sell humanoid robots for household use for the time being. The company justified this step by stating that the safety requirements that need to be met are too high. After all, no human should be accidentally injured by a robot. Instead, Unitree wants to concentrate on industrial robots and their commercialization. The US robotics company Figure AI also announced in February that its humanoid Figure 02 would still be used in households on a trial basis in 2025. The company is therefore pursuing a two-pronged approach and developing its humanoid for industry and private households.
Autonomous Neo Gamma still a long way off
1X, on the other hand, is focusing entirely on humanoid household robots. As the company is not yet able to operate its Neo Gamma robot fully autonomously, safety aspects do not yet seem to play a major role. At the moment, 1X is putting its Neo Gamma in a padded suit to protect its environment from injury. At present, 1X obviously intends to lay the technical foundations for robot autonomy as quickly as possible.
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This will initially be achieved by using teleoperators to remotely control the humanoid robot and collect training data. This will also be the case for the planned tests in private households. Data will be collected while performing household tasks in order to train an artificial intelligence (AI) that will later make the robot fit for autonomous use. So far, 1X has largely trained its AI itself, but occasionally also relies on partnerships with OpenAI and Nvidia, for example.
The test households do not have to worry about data protection: The cameras integrated into the robots only provide the operators with an image when the residents release them, 1X reassures.
At the GTC, Neo Gamma was already able to perform some simple household tasks such as watering plants and vacuuming, but sometimes still required the support of a teleoperator.
(olb)
