Screenshot by David Grober/ZDNET
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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- 1X’s viral Neo humanoid robot isn’t quite as good as it looks.
- Neo costs $500 per month or $20,000 up-front.
- The robot has to be controlled by a human.
There’s a new humanoid robot making waves online, but even with a price tag of $20,000, this one might not be exactly what it seems.
In a 10-minute video posted to X, 1X debuted Neo, a housekeeping humanoid robot that handles everyday tasks like loading the dishwasher, vacuuming the floor, and folding laundry. As 1X describes it, the robot can “provide assistance with everyday tasks…automates household chores, freeing time for priorities” and even “brings useful insight into every conversation.”
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1X claims that you can schedule chores to occur at a specific time of day and that the robot, which has a 4-hour runtime, is quieter than a refrigerator and can even submerge its hands in water.
The video, which was honestly pretty impressive, quickly went viral.
Details quickly started surfacing, though, including a hands-on review from the Wall Street Journal that indicated this robot might be much less “humanoid” than the video looks. It turns out that the robot still needs to be controlled by a human — a “1X Expert” — wearing a VR headset.
1X states that the employees operating the robots are based in the US, and that purchasing a robot entails a “social contract” that essentially allows a stranger to access your home.
All that might be OK, but from hands-on testing, the robot isn’t even that great. According to the WSJ’s review, Neo almost fell over while closing the dishwasher, took several minutes to fold a shirt, and had difficulty opening a refrigerator. The reviewer added that he “didn’t see Neo do anything autonomously.”
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The company CEO did say the robot will do “most things autonomously” by 2026.
If you’re still interested and don’t mind the “social contract,” two purchase options are available — a standard $499 monthly subscription or a special $20,000 early-access one-time preorder that requires a $200 down payment.
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