Norwegian company 1X has announced its latest creation. It is about Neo, a humanoid robot that can help you with household chores. It could be commercialized starting in 2025, according to Newsweek.
NEO could be acquired at a relatively affordable price. Photo YouTube video capture
The robot is to be tested in selected homes at the end of the current year. The company plans to increase production to thousands of units in 2025 and to millions by 2028.
Neo is 164 centimeters tall and weighs 29 kilograms. It can walk at a speed of 4 km/h and run at 12 km/h. In addition, it has a carrying capacity of up to 19 kilograms and can operate on a single charge for 2-4 hours.
Neo would be a real help in the house: it can clean or bring objects. In addition to the not inconsiderable role it could play in housing, it can help people with mobility problems and keep them company.
The website shows images of the beta version of NEO opening doors and cleaning surfaces, while in a teaser the robot can be seen picking up a backpack.
Although no pricing information was given, Bernt Bornich, CEO of 1X, hinted that NEO could be relatively affordable: “We can manufacture it at the cost of a relatively affordable car. And I’m not talking about a car that someone in Silicon Valley would buy”.
“We’re building robots that are safe, capable and accessible so we can make robots that can live and learn among us,” said Csaba Hartmann, VP of Manufacturing Ops & Engineering at the robotics company.
Hartmann said they were inspired by Honda’s ASIMO, a humanoid robot first introduced in 2000. ASIMO could walk, run, climb stairs, recognize faces and voices, and perform simple tasks such as be the transport of objects. The production of the ASIMO robot was discontinued in 2018.
