It's walking, but it's not working (yet)

ROBOTICS

It's walking, but it's not working (yet)

Norwegian robots company 1X is planning to test its humanoid robot, Neo Gamma, in a few hundred to a few thousand homes by the end of 2025.

The goal is to see how it performs in real-life environments and gather data to help train its AI, supported by human operators behind the scenes.

Neo Gamma isn’t fully autonomous - yet.

It can walk and balance using AI but still relies on remote human control when needed.

These early trials will help the robot “learn” from day-to-day interactions in a home setting with real people.

Interest in humanoid robots is clearly picking up. The world is raving about it.

US-based startup Figure has similar testing plans for next year, and OpenAI, already an investor in 1X, is reportedly looking into building its own robots, too.

But bringing this kind of tech into homes comes with some big questions around privacy and safety, especially when it involves cameras and microphones.

A few things to keep in mind:

• 1X will start testing Neo Gamma in real homes by late 2025, with remote human support.

• The robot can do basic tasks but isn’t ready to work on its own just yet.

• Privacy concerns remain, as household data will help train the AI models.

Home help, but with Wi-Fi stress

Neo Gamma was first shown earlier this year, featuring an upgraded AI model and a softer nylon body designed to make it safer around people.

In a recent demo, it managed basic tasks like watering plants and vacuuming but also glitched out due to low battery and patchy Wi-Fi (The eternal first-world problems.)

There’s no confirmed rollout strategy yet. 1X has opened a waitlist, but how the robot would work without human assistance remains unclear.

I wonder if it blasts Sleep Token while vacuuming like me.