Norwegian robotics startup 1X Technologies has announced that it will start testing its humanoid robots in private homes by the end of the year.
Robots tidying up around the house has been a societal dream since the 1960s American animated sitcom The Jetsons, and whoever can figure out how to make that a reality (a complicated technical feat) could become the next Apple.
Are you willing to be a guinea pig for the Norwegian company and open up your home to a robot helper?
1X plans to place their new NEO Gamma humanoid robot in “a few hundred to a few thousand” homes by the end of 2025 and is inviting “early adopters” to join the test, says 1X Technologies CEO Bernt Børnich.
The NEO Gamma isn’t fully autonomous yet, so the robots in each home will be remotely piloted by tele-operators who will have access to the robots’ cameras and sensors. This testing phase will generate a vast amount of data that 1X can feed into its AI system, which will one day enable the robotic maids to operate autonomously and follow proper parameters for how to act in people’s homes.
Mind you, having a heavy, human-piloted robot walking around homes (which have unique floorplans and unpredictable hazards like messes, dogs and kids) presents distinct privacy and safety issues, which is why 1X is one of the few companies focusing on that market.
The other companies brave enough (like Tesla and Figure) to attempt the fiendishly difficult technical feat of creating robotic domestic maids, are also in the testing phase. So, it’s now a race to see who can fold your laundry the best, quickest, and without (literally) stepping on your toes or slipping on a toy and falling down the stairs.
Meanwhile, here's the promo video for the NEO Gamma...