Robot NEO, the butler that will do all your housework for you.

Humanoid robots have served as the subject matter for a handful of film productions, some with a strong horror character. Until recently, however, the existence of human-like robots was either an imperfect and anecdotal invention or a dystopia far in the future.

The Norwegian company 1X Technologies in collaboration with OpenAI has launched NEO Beta, a bipedal robot that shares elementary characteristics with humans such as its physical appearance and the way it moves. Its robot is specially designed to carry out household tasks, but its use is likely to spread to many other areas if it is sufficiently successful.

This robot would be like having a butler at your disposal 24 hours a day, but without pay. While it could be useful to everybody, the main beneficiaries of NEO would be the people with mobility problems and of advanced age.

What can the NEO robot do?

NEO can take care of all household chores. This robot's anatomy is designed to resemble that of human beings., It is therefore fully adapted to our world. 

Unlike other robots with a very rigid movement capability, NEO has great freedom of movement, This makes him very fluid when moving around and handling objects. He is also able to control their strength and apply it more gently or firmly depending on the task at hand.

NEO could then perform many tasks within the household, for example:

• Tidy up the house: NEO can pick up objects from the ground and put them back in place.

• Assist with food preparation: It can chop vegetables, mix ingredients or lend a hand with other simple kitchen tasks.

• Cleaning surfaces: NEO could wipe tables, shelves and even windows with a cloth.

• Organising spaces: Reorganise objects in drawers, shelves or cupboards.

• Transporting objects: Carrying things from one room to another.

• Set up and remove the table: Helping to put out cutlery, glasses, tablecloths and plates for meals and then picking them up.

• Load and unload the dishwasher: NEO could load dirty dishes into the dishwasher and unload them after cleaning.

• Watering the plants: You could water the plants on a regular basis with a pre-scheduled timetable.

• Vacuum the floor: The rooms could be vacuumed.

Is NEO safe?

Having a robot servant at home may sound cool, but it does make us question certain dangerous scenarios. As this concern is so common and so reasonable, 1X Technologies has prioritised safety first in designing NEO Beta.

Firstly, the robot is padded and is smooth to the touch, so it has no sharp or pointed edges. This is not the case with most robots, which expose their entire metal or plastic structure.

Thanks to this well thought-out design, it is highly unlikely that NEO will accidentally cause damage to any furniture, people or itself. For example, if it were to collide with a table, If it does, it would not collapse and would not be left with any scratches. In principle, it is not even likely to collide with any static elements, as it has integrated sensors of movement highly developed.

In addition, Scandinavian tech start-up has been testing NEO in many households for some time now. in order to gather feedback and address any shortcomings or omissions that could lead to a security problem.

What differentiates NEO Beta from other robots?

While NEO is not the first humanoid robot to be created, it does have certain features that make it stand out from the rest. Its competition is made up of highly advanced robots such as the Optimus of Tesla, Figure A2 or the G1 of Unitree Robotics.

At first glance, NEO differs because weighs only 30 kilos, making it safer, easier to transport and more ergonomic in general. It is probably the lightest human-scale robot in existence.

In turn, its main objective is very specific: to help with household chores. For now, 1X Technologies does not aspire to make NEO a hyper-developed state-of-the-art robot with an infinite range of functions. It is clear that NEO uses the artificial intelligence, but it is not one of its major selling points.

Another differentiating factor that we have already mentioned is that NEO is padded and therefore, is safer. In this respect, 1X Technologies has shown commendable consideration for user accessibility and security.

When does NEO go on sale?

As with many very ambitious technological projects, NEO is still has not even a planned marketing date nor a definite price. Even so, 1X Technologies' initiative is aiming high, so it shouldn't be cheap to begin with. With their plans for mass production and the investment of companies like OpenAI in their pockets, it won't be long before we see it.

Will NEO Beta be the future of home assistants?