1X said its latest robot, NEO Gamma, marks the next step towards its goal of making humanoids everyday helpers. | Source: 1X Technologies
For humanoid robots to become accepted parts of people’s daily lives, they’ll need to act in a human-like manner. At least, that’s what 1X Technologies AS is betting on today with the release of NEO Gamma, the successor to its NEO Beta humanoid.
Companies looking to deploy humanoids in industrial settings can focus on making robots that can effectively perform a number of tasks as efficiently as possible. It’s why Boston Dynamics showed its Atlas robot twisting its arms and legs 180º to lift itself off the floor, an impossible feat for the human body.
1X, however, is planning to deploy these robots to aid in common household tasks. To do so, it’s focusing on making NEO walk and talk like humans. The company said NEO‘s latest improvements open the door to starting internal home testing.
While this is a great milestone, it’s also just the first step in creating fully autonomous humanoids that can seamlessly integrate into people’s homes.
“There is a not-so-distant future where we all have our own robot helper at home, like Rosie the Robot or Baymax,” stated Bernt Børnich, the CEO of 1X. “But for humanoid robots to truly integrate into everyday life, they must be developed alongside humans, not in isolation.”
“The home provides real-world context and the diversity of data needed for humanoids to grow in intelligence and autonomy,” he continued. “It also teaches them the nuances of human life—how to open the door, move carefully around pets, or adapt to the unpredictability of the surrounding world. Robots confined to industrial space or lab development miss out on this critical understanding.”
AI at the core of NEO Gamma’s improvements
NEO Gamma’s most significant improvements center around artificial intelligence. First, 1X Technologies created a multi-purpose whole-body controller for the robot. The company said this means NEO can now walk with a natural human gait and arm swings. The humanoid can squat down to pick things up from the ground and sit in chairs.
These dynamic control skills – running at 100Hz – are use reinforcement learning from human motion-capture data. This range of motion allows NEO Gamma to experience household scenarios and tasks that would be otherwise inaccessible to other robot form factors, the company claimed.
Next, 1X equipped NEO Gamma with improved general-purpose manipulation. It trained a visual manipulation model capable of picking up a large variety of objects in different scenarios, including environments not seen during training. This allows NEO Gamma to use neural networks trained to predict teleoperated actions directly from raw sensor data.
Third, 1X developed a new in-house large language model (LLM) that enables natural conversation and body language. The “companion feature” integrates a conversational voice interface. The company said these developments bring NEO closer to human-friendly user interaction.
1X started 2025 by acquiring Kind Humanoid Inc., a humanoid robotics developer that applied LLMs to human-robot interaction. However, the company confirmed to The Robot Report that Kind Humanoid’s work is not integrated into NEO Gamma.
NEO Gamma includes design, hardware improvements
1X said it gave NEO Gamma a minimalist design to help it better fit into people’s homes. | Source: 1X Technologies
1X said it designed NEO Gamma to be approachable and to complement living spaces rather than disrupt them. To aid in this, the robot has a new head shape meant to evoke “comfort and familiarity.”
In addition, the robot’s knit suit and shoes are 3D printed from nylon using a Japanese Shemiseki machine. 1X uses a whole-garment knitting process that allows the suit fabric to conform to NEO without impeding performance.
With safety as a top priority, NEO Gamma features 1X’s tendon drive for joint actuation, encased in soft covers to enhance passive safety. This is different from the electric drives in other robots.
The robot also features Emotive Ear Rings to improve communication. 1X said these new Ear Rings provide real-time feedback for a more intuitive and interactive experience.
1X said NEO’s hardware upgrades make it quieter, more reliable and well-suited to deliver a consumer product experience. NEO Gamma boasts a 10 times increase in hardware reliability and a 10 dB decrease in noise, the company claimed.
NEO Gamma features four microphones (front, back, left, and right) with beamforming and echo cancellation, ensuring crystal-clear audio capture. It also has a three-speaker system—one in the chest for AI voice interactions and two outward-facing speakers in the pelvis for bass–to provide 360-degree sound effects and music.
“With NEO Gamma, every engineering and design decision was made with one goal in mind: getting NEO into customers’ homes as quickly as possible,” Børnich said. “We’re close. We can’t wait to share more soon.”
1X carves its niche in an increasingly crowded market
In contrast to 1X, many of the other companies developing humanoids are focusing on commercial applications, starting with simple materials handling tasks in logistics and manufacturing. Examples include Agility Robotics, which is working with GXO, Schaeffler, Ricoh, and Manhattan Associates, and Apptronick, which raised $350 million last week.
Figure AI, another large player in the space, shipped its Figure 02 humanoid to its first customer in December. In addition, Figure AI has partnered with OpenAI, which recently restarted its own robotics research group, on speech-to-speech communications with humans.
Learn about humanoids at the Robotics Summit
Humanoids will be front and center at the Robotics Summit & Expowhich runs April 30-May 1 in Boston and is produced by WTWH Media, parent of The Robot Report.
Aaron Saunders, chief technology officer (CTO) of Boston Dynamics, is giving the opening keynote on Day 2 of the event. He will discuss the recently redesigned Atlas robot and share his thoughts about the future humanoids.
The first day of the show will feature a panel about the state of humanoids with Pras Velagapudi, CTO at Agility Robotics; Aaron Prather, director of robotics and autonomous systems at ASTM International; and Al Makke, director of engineering at Schaeffler. The panel will explore the technical and business challenges shaping the development of humanoids. It will also share insights from early deployments, what’s on the horizon, and the ongoing efforts to establish safety standards.
The Robotics Summit & Expo will bring together more than 5,000 developers focused on building robots for a variety of commercial industries. Attendees will gain insights into the latest enabling technologies, engineering best practices, and emerging trends.
The event will feature over 200 exhibitors, 70-plus speakers on stage10+ hours of dedicated networking time, a Women in Robotics Breakfast, a career fairstartup showcase, and more. Returning to the show are the RBR50 Pavilion and RBR50 Awards Dinnerwhich will honor the winners of the annual RBR50 Robotics Innovation Awards.
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