Norwegian robotics firm 1X has unveiled its latest home robot, Neo Gamma, a humanoid system designed for testing in the home environment. The Neo Gamma is a prototype that succeeds the Neo Beta, which debuted in August. Images of the robot show it performing various household tasks, such as making coffee, doing laundry, and vacuuming.

The bipedal robot is set to step outside the lab, with limited in-home testing, although the company is quick to add that the Gamma is a long way away from commercial scaling and deployment. This approach makes 1X unique among its direct peers, as most firms have prioritized warehouse and factory deployment.

Neo Gamma represents a softer side of the humanoid industry – both figuratively and literally. 1X has built the robot to be welcoming, with a friendlier design and a suit made of knitted nylon. The latter is designed to reduce potential injuries that might arise from robot-to-human contact. The company has also made significant advances in the Gamma's on-board AI system, which is crucial for designing a safer robot.

Home robots have always been a tricky proposition. Beyond robotic vacuums produced by companies like iRobot, none have meaningfully penetrated the market. This isn't from a lack of trying – the technology simply isn't there. Home robots need to be useful, reliable, affordable, and significantly safer than their industrial counterparts. This is doubly the case given that age-tech is likely to be one of home humanoids' key targets, as the average age of the population rises, independent living for older adults will become an increasingly important technology target.

1X's unique focus on home robots is notable, especially given the company's backing from OpenAI, a pioneer in the field of generative AI. The notion of embodied intelligence – AI with a physical presence – is the next logical step for the white-hot world of generative AI. OpenAI has since hedged its bets in the humanoid space, with both an investment in competitor Figure, as well as numerous rumors surrounding the ChatGPT maker's own in-house robotics ambitions.

Generative AI has an important role to play with humanoids, including the creation of more natural person-to-robot language interactions. Much like Figure, 1X has been building its own in-house models designed to improve both the robot's speech and body language. It's unclear how many of Gamma's new and improved features are a result of the company's work with OpenAI or its January acquisition of Bay Area startup, Kind Humanoid.

While 1X has not disclosed how many Neo Gammas have been – or will be – produced over the course of the beta robot's life, the product videos accompanying Friday's launch are best viewed as proof of concept of how one of Neo's creations might behave in a home setting. As the industry moves forward, it's clear that humanoid robots have a long way to go in terms of pricing, reliability, safety, and functionality before we can have a serious conversation about bringing them home.

Despite the challenges, the unveiling of Neo Gamma marks an important step forward in the development of humanoid robots for home use. As the technology continues to advance, we can expect to see more innovative solutions that address the complex needs of home robots. With its unique focus and cutting-edge AI system, 1X is well-positioned to be at the forefront of this emerging industry.