World’s First Household Robot for Rent: $3,600/Month, Takes a Minute to Fetch Water, Still Needs Human Remote Control
The World’s First Consumer Housework-Capable Humanoid Robot
A new milestone in robotics has arrived—the first humanoid robot designed for everyday consumers to help with housework.
This time there’s no ballet dancing or kung fu demos—it’s built to clean your home and come at your call.
Just say, “Neo, fold my clothes”, and the 1.68‑meter humanoid turns the corner, bends down gently, and skillfully folds your laundry.
Back in March, it even went shopping—buying Jensen Huang a leather jacket and delivering it in person.
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From Concept to Reality
After more than half a year of optimization, you can now actually bring Neo home.
Backed by industry giants—OpenAI, NVIDIA, and Samsung—robotics company 1X has announced that the Neo humanoid robot is officially available for pre-order.
Pricing Options:
- Full purchase: USD 20,000 (~145,000 RMB)
- Subscription: USD 499/month (~3,600 RMB)
▲ Purchase page showing three colors—light brown, gray, and dark brown.
Availability:
- Pre-orders open now in the U.S.
- First deliveries planned for next year.
- Global expansion projected for 2027.
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Design Philosophy: More “Home Appliance” than “Terminator”
Neo Specs:
- Height: 1.68 m
- Weight: ~30 kg
- Exterior: Soft polymer shell, knitted turtleneck, sneakers — intentionally friendly appearance.
- Arms: 22 joints (near human flexibility), capable of lifting ~22 kg (~45 lbs).
Comparison:
- Unitree H2: 180 cm tall, 70 kg, 31 joints.
Internal Tech
- Sensors: 3D vision camera, microphone array.
- Platform: NVIDIA Jetson for speech recognition, object understanding, and Q&A.
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Core Household Functions
Neo can automate daily household chores via:
- Voice Commands: Simple spoken instructions (“Fold my clothes,” “Turn off the lights”).
- To-Do Lists: Structured sets of actions.
Tasks it can handle include:
- Housework: Folding laundry, organizing bookshelves/desks, tidying clutter.
- Daily assistance: Fetching items, greeting guests, controlling lights.
- Smart interaction: Conversational abilities powered by large language models.
- Context awareness: Recognizing kitchen ingredients and suggesting recipes; understanding when to speak or stay silent.
- Memory: Remembering past conversations to offer personalized help.
Bonus Feature: Three-level speaker system in chest and pelvis — functions as a mobile entertainment hub.
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Human in the Loop — Not Fully Autonomous Yet
While you might be tempted to order Neo right now, it’s important to note:
- Neo will handle only basic tasks initially.
- For complex or unfamiliar situations, it calls in human assistance.
“Call Reinforcements” System
Neo allows users to summon a remote “1X Expert”:
- A trained operator connects via Wi-Fi or 5G.
- They use Neo’s cameras to see and give real-time movement instructions.
Learning While Doing:
- Neo observes the operator’s actions.
- It gradually acquires new skills for autonomous execution later.
Privacy Concerns:
- Remote human access means cameras and microphones inside your home could be active.
- Users worry about hacking and misuse.
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Current Limitations
Examples from demo tests:
- Asked for a bottle from the fridge → Neo couldn’t open the door. Human operator took over (1 minute to complete).
- Vacuuming → stopped due to dead battery.
Result:
- Neo excels at predictable, low-complexity tasks.
- Judgment-heavy tasks still require human intervention.
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Safeguards and Beta Testing
The CEO explains measures to address privacy and safety:
- Restricted no-entry zones.
- Remote actions require user approval.
- Microphone and data encryption protocols.
However, early adopters are essentially “beta testers”:
- Neo learns directly in real homes.
- Training is ongoing via software updates and accumulated experience.
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Industry Context
Neo’s launch has sparked millions of views online. Other players include:
- Tesla Optimus: Elon Musk projects ~80% of future Tesla revenues could come from robots.
- Figure AI: Raised $1B in September; $39B valuation; launched Figure 03.
- Unitree: Another major competitor in humanoid robotics.
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A First Step Toward Household AI-Robots
As one demo reporter said:
> “Even though the robot can do chores, knowing there’s a person remotely controlling it feels strange.”
Humans have AI copilots — robots, for now, have human pilots.
Like AI-generated worlds for training autonomous systems, Neo’s real-world deployment helps it grow skillsets directly from home environments.
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Video Review
Watch The Wall Street Journal’s coverage here: https://youtu.be/f3c4mQty_so
For Creators
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Would you like me to also add a comparison table between Neo and other humanoid robots so readers can clearly see where it stands in the market? That could make your Markdown article even more reader-friendly.
