The 1X Neo humanoid robot is officially up for pre-order in the U.S., promising to assist with chores like vacuuming, laundry, and more. But as recent hands-on testing revealed, this early-gen helper isn’t quite ready to fly solo.
1X Neo humanoid robot shows promise and limits
Journalist Joanna Stern from the Wall Street Journal put the 1X Neo through its paces, and the results were a mix of impressive coordination and awkward delays. Neo did manage to vacuum and load a dishwasher. But when asked to hand over a bottle of water from a nearby fridge, it took a full minute and seven seconds and needed human guidance the entire time.
That level of dependence is baked in. The current model runs in what 1X calls “expert mode,” meaning a human operator takes control remotely whenever Neo can’t complete a task on its own. Which, at this point, is often.
A new Cyberpunk 2077 mod adds turf wars, gang territory, and police clashes customizable chaos across Night City.
Humanoid helper or oversized toddler?
While the 1X Neo looks and moves more naturally than many of its robotic peers, it still struggles with everyday complexity. During the test, it couldn’t crack a walnut not because it failed, but because it wasn’t designed to. Instead of brute strength, Neo was built to prioritize soft, human-like interaction.
The robot’s textile-clad body hides a set of muscle-mimicking belt-driven motors. This design reduces noise and sharp motion, making it safer in tight home spaces. It weighs just 66 pounds but can still lift up to 150 useful if you’re handing it laundry baskets, not asking it to move furniture.
What the 1X Neo can and can’t do today
Neo’s developer says this robot can already handle basic domestic tasks with remote help. Here’s a breakdown of where it stands:
- ✅ Can vacuum floors efficiently
- ✅ Loads dishwashers with gentle precision
- ✅ Recognizes household objects
- ❌ Needs remote operation for complex or unpredictable tasks
- ❌ Limited autonomy in navigating cluttered spaces
- ❌ Not ready for heavy-duty chores or unsupervised use
1X Neo humanoid robot faces privacy questions
To improve its skills, Neo sends visual and audio data from your home back to 1X’s servers. The company promises anonymization pixelated faces, visible operator status but that’s still a leap for anyone concerned about data privacy. For many, this trade-off may be the hardest to accept.
Even so, the team’s roadmap is clear: by 2030, Neo aims to operate independently and safely. Until then, every home it enters becomes part of the training ground.
More toddler than terminator for now
Right now, 1X Neo feels more like a curious child than a futuristic butler. It listens, it learns, it cleans (sometimes). But it still needs a watchful human hand guiding it through everyday life. At $20,000 or $499 per month it’s far from a casual buy. Yet for early adopters, it might be the first step toward the home assistant future that science fiction has long promised.
Neo can fold your laundry. Just don’t expect it to open the fridge without a little help.
