1X to Test Humanoid Robots in Hundreds of Homes in 2025

Norwegian robotics startup 1X is gearing up to test its humanoid robot, Neo Gamma, in a few hundred to a few thousand homes by the end of 2025, according to CEO Bernt Børnich. "Neo Gamma is going into homes this year," Børnich shared with TechCrunch at Nvidia GTC 2025. "We're inviting early adopters to help us refine this system. We want Neo to live and learn with people, and for that, we need folks to welcome Neo into their homes and guide its behavior."

The buzz around home-use humanoid robots has been growing lately. Figure, a competitor based in the Bay Area, announced in February plans to start home testing its robots in 2025. Not long after, Bloomberg reported that Figure was eyeing a $1.5 billion fundraise at a staggering $40 billion valuation. Meanwhile, OpenAI, an investor in 1X, is reportedly considering developing its own humanoid robots.

Introducing heavy robots into homes is a big deal for this emerging industry, much like autonomous vehicle startups rolling out their robotaxis. Things can go wrong fast. Børnich admits that Neo Gamma is still far from being ready for widespread commercial use and full autonomy.

While Neo Gamma uses AI to walk and balance, it's not yet fully autonomous. To make home testing feasible, 1X is using teleoperators—humans who can remotely control Neo Gamma's movements using real-time camera and sensor data.

These home tests will help 1X gather crucial data on how Neo Gamma functions in a home environment. Early adopters will contribute to a valuable dataset that 1X can use to enhance its AI models and improve Neo Gamma's performance.

Despite being backed by OpenAI, Børnich says 1X develops its core AI technology internally. The company also sometimes collaborates on AI model training with partners like OpenAI and Nvidia.

Of course, collecting data from home microphones and cameras for AI training raises privacy concerns. A 1X spokesperson told TechCrunch that customers can control when a 1X employee can access Neo Gamma's surroundings for auditing or teleoperation.

Unveiled in February, Neo Gamma is 1X's first bipedal robot prototype to be tested outside the lab. It boasts an upgraded onboard AI model and a knitted nylon body suit designed to minimize injury risks during human-robot interactions.

Here with the sweater robot pic.twitter.com/yxwtb2vBiA

— Max Zeff (@ZeffMax) March 19, 2025

During a demo at GTC, 1X showed off Neo Gamma performing basic tasks in a living room, with some help from a human operator. The robot vacuumed, watered plants, and navigated the room without bumping into anything. However, it wasn't perfect; at one point, it started shaking and collapsed into Børnich's arms. An employee cited poor Wi-Fi and a low battery as the culprits.

Like Figure, 1X hasn't fully detailed its early adopter program or go-to-market strategy for Neo Gamma, though there's a waitlist on their website. It's tough to picture how Neo Gamma will function at home without teleoperation. The spokesperson promised a "more thorough explanation" down the road.

While a few hundred or thousand people might get to try an early, human-assisted version of Neo Gamma this year, it looks like we're still years away from being able to buy fully autonomous humanoid robots off the shelf.