This next-gen humanoid robot is being introduced into homes

At-home testing of a bipedal humanoid robot has begun, and it seems the bot is keen to let everyone know how friendly it is. 

Norweigian robotics company X1 has unveiled its NEO Beta home robot that is designed to help around the home. 

The new round of testing, which sees a ‘limited number’ of the robots being introduced into ‘selected homes’ represents a major milestone for the company. 

It hopes that these tests will pave the way for robot helpers to become more common around the home. 

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The NEO Beta humanoid robot is designed to help around the home

Advancements with humanoid robots have come thick and fast in recent years, with Tesla recently revealing footage of its Optimus bots carrying out ‘useful tasks’ at work. 

Meanwhile, the Unitree’s G1 has ‘unlimited movement ability’ with 360-degree joints and the ability to collapse itself.

So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that X1 is already trialing robot at-home helpers. 

The company released a short clip, which you can see above, to show one of the bots in action. 

In the clip, the robot can be seen helpfully passing its human companion her backpack as she gets ready to leave the house. 

After grabbing her backpack, she walks off but is then seemingly beckoned back by NEO Beta as the bot apparently wants a quick hug goodbye.

Now, whether you think that’s sweet or a bit like something from an episode of Black Mirror, we’ll let you decide. 

X1 has stressed that its ‘safety first’ when it comes to bots

But, if the clip does make you feel a bit unsettled, X1 is quick to allay any fears. 

“Our priority is safety,” said X1 CEO Bernt Børnich. 

“Safety is the cornerstone that allows us to confidently introduce NEO Beta into homes, where it will gather essential feedback and demonstrate its capabilities in real-world settings.

“This year, we are deploying a limited number of NEO units in selected homes for research and development purposes. Doing so means we are taking another step toward achieving our mission.”

The company says NEO has been designed to be produced at scale at its factory in Moss, Norway. 

X1’s end goal is to ‘create an abundant supply of physical labor through safe, intelligent humanoids that work alongside people’ and needs to test NEO across a range of environments to ensure it is capable of performing a wide range of tasks. 

Can you see yourself owning one of these in the future?