The future is here. With AI advancing rapidly, the first humanoid robot that can do household chores has been launched. The AI robot is called 'Neo' and it comes wearing clothes, has a human shape and form, and can do chores like cleaning the house, washing dishes, and feeding the dogs. It can basically replace your maid, if you are ok to shell out over $499 per month, or a $20,000 up front. The humanoid robot has been launched by 1X, a US-based robotics company, and its the first to bring robots into the homes of the masses.
1X took to social media to launch the first humanoid robot. This robot is currently up for pre-order in the US with deliveries starting from 2026.
Here's what the 1X Neo can do
Neo can do basic tasks like cleaning up trash, watering plants, or opening the door autonomously. It uses Redwood AI—1X’s Generalist AI model—for learning and repeating tasks. The company says that the robot arrives with basic autonomy for early owners and grows in capability overtime.
For complex tasks like 'tidy the home' or 'do the laundry', the robot may go into expert mode, which means an 'expert' from 1X can remotely supervise its actions at scheduled times to help it learn new abilities and get the job done. This means that a 1x employee may be peering into your home to help Neo get better over time. "You have to be ok with this, for the product to be useful," explains Bernt Bornich, Founder and CEO of 1X in an interview.
Over and above the privacy questions, Neo can self charge, meaning it manages it’s own battery life so you don't have to. When Neo needs a charge, it plugs itself in. Furthermore, users can see what Neo is doing from anywhere across the world through the mobile app.
Apart from being your housekeeper, Neo can turn itself into a mobile bluetooth speaker as well. Other features include memory retention, interpreting audio cues and conversational context, using visual intelligence to enhance conversations, and using AI for navigating to where its needed. The company says that Neo's suit is machine washable.
Neo, the human robot, is currently only available in the US. Its availability outside of the US is not known. 1x also says that the robot learns with time, and human intervention may be needed initially, but eventually, the robot will learn the ways and corners of the house and adapt accordingly. Furthermore, 1x is looking to ship many more features to the robot, to help it become more autonomous.
Joanna Stern from The Wall Street Journal got to use Neo for a bit, and her impressions were mixed. She says, " Spending the day with Neo is like spending the day with a toddler who is learning how to do things in the world. The next few years is not about owning a super useful robot, it is about raising one."
Here's what her experience was with Neo, the home robot.
