A home humanoid robot that helps with cleaning and organizing the house, as well as preparing meals, has been unveiled.
Norwegian robotics company 1X has unveiled Neo Gamma, a humanoid robot designed for home use. 1X was an early investment from OpenAI.
The Neo Gamma, unveiled this time, is a successor model to the Neo Beta announced in August of last year and was developed for testing in a home environment. The video released by 1X shows the robot performing various household tasks, such as vacuuming and doing laundry.
In the video, the robot brought the couple a cup of hot water and a tea bag after the water in the electric kettle boiled. It wiped down the kitchen with a dishtowel and cleaned the windows. It also nodded when it received praise after straightening a crooked picture frame at the request of the homeowners.
I went out to the front door, received the ingredients the owner of the house brought, carried them to the kitchen, and helped prepare the meal. After that, I sat down on the living room sofa and finished the video.
This robot has a more human-friendly design than existing humanoids. The body is made of knitted nylon material, reducing the risk of injury that may occur when coming into contact with people.
1X emphasized that the onboard AI system is a key element of safe robot design. The robot is designed to be aware of its surroundings and not cause harm to people or objects. While most humanoid robots aim for full autonomy, he explained that domestic robots should be designed to be controlled by humans in emergency situations.
“The era of having a robot helper in the home is not far off,” said 1X CEO Bernd Bornich, but added that “humanoid robots must be developed alongside humans to become a natural part of our daily lives.”
“Home provides a realistic environment in which robots can develop intelligence and autonomy. They can learn how to open doors, how to move carefully around pets, and how to adapt to unpredictable situations. Robots developed solely in industrial settings or laboratories, on the other hand, are likely to miss out on these key elements,” he said.
The company said Neo Gamma will undergo home testing, but it will take some time before it is ready for commercial release.
