Meet the humanoid robot headed for homes

"It's a slightly surreal scene, but it has a serious point. I am visiting the Palo Alto headquarters of 1X Technologies, and Sleeper, the company's VP of growth, is demonstrating that Neo, its home robot, is a lightweight at a mere 66 pounds. That's a crucial design feature, given that a weighty domestic bot could prove hazardous if it toppled over in the vicinity of a human, a pet, or just a pricey vase."

"Soon, Neo will take on the ultimate proving ground for a home robot: actual homes. 1X is announcing that it's taking preorders and plans to ship units to its earliest customers next year. The price is $20,000, or $499 per month as a subscription service, with a six-month minimum. Like a smartphone, the robot will come in multiple color options-tan, gray, and dark brown."

"Then again, 1X founder and CEO Bernd Børnich's goals for his robots involve attaining a degree of utility that few inventions ever have. He wants to teach Neo to handle every household task that people perform because they need to, not because they want to. Even if the time saved came in bits and pieces-five minutes of dishwasher unloading here, 15 minutes of laundry folding there-it would add up to many hours newly available for more rewarding pursuits."

Dar Sleeper hoists the humanoid robot off the ground, bracing its back and legs and lowering it onto a sofa to demonstrate Neo's 66-pound weight. Neo's lightweight design aims to reduce hazard risk if a domestic bot toppled near a human, pet, or fragile object. 1X is taking preorders and plans to ship units to earliest customers next year. The price is $20,000 or $499 per month with a six-month subscription minimum. The robot will come in tan, gray, and dark brown. Founder and CEO Bernd Børnich seeks to teach Neo to handle every household task, saving users small amounts of time that add up to many hours. 1X projects manufacturing at scale, potentially producing hundreds of thousands of units to increase productivity broadly.

Read at Fast Company