Meet NEO, the humanoid robot assistant that can turn off lights, open doors, and learn by watching your home

Imagine having a robot at home that can open doors, turn off lights, or even bring you a cup of coffee. That’s exactly what California-based AI and robotics company 1X is promising with its new humanoid robot called NEO, which is now available for pre-order.

NEO is designed to make everyday life easier by handling simple chores through a voice command or a tap on your phone. It can move around the house, fetch objects, and do basic tasks on its own. But here’s the catch — to learn more advanced tasks, a human operator might need to control it remotely, meaning someone could be seeing inside your home through the robot’s camera.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, 1X CEO Bernt Børnich explained that NEO’s artificial intelligence still needs a lot of real-world training. “If we don’t have your data, we can’t make the product better,” he said. That’s why early buyers will have to agree to limited remote access so that the robot can learn from real human environments.

The company says users will always remain in control. Through an app, owners can schedule when a teleoperator — a human working remotely — can take control of NEO, and even create no-go zones in their homes. 1X claims it will blur people’s faces and objects for privacy, and remote operators can’t access NEO without the owner’s permission.