Norwegian robotics startup 1X aims to begin initial trials of its humanoid robot, Neo Gamma, in “a few hundred to a few thousand” households by late 2025, as stated by the company’s CEO, Bernt Børnich.
“Neo Gamma will be entering homes this year,” Børnich said in an interview with TechCrunch at Nvidia GTC 2025. “We aim to bring in early adopters to assist in developing the system. Our goal is for Neo to live and learn among people, and to achieve that, we need individuals to welcome it into their homes and help teach it proper behavior.”
In recent months, enthusiasm for humanoid robots designed for home use has surged to new levels.
Bay Area-based competitor Figure, known for its strong social media presence, announced in February that it would also commence home testing of its humanoid robots in 2025. Just weeks later, Bloomberg reported that Figure was in discussions to raise $1.5 billion, with a staggering $40 billion valuation. Meanwhile, OpenAI—an investor in 1X—is reportedly considering developing its own humanoid robots.
Placing heavy metal robots in people’s homes significantly raises the stakes for this emerging industry. It’s comparable to autonomous vehicle startups deploying robotaxis—while innovative, things can take a wrong turn fast.
However, Børnich acknowledges that Neo Gamma is still far from achieving commercial scalability and full autonomy.
Although Neo Gamma utilizes AI for walking and balancing, it has not yet achieved full autonomous movement. To facilitate in-home testing, Børnich explains that 1X is “bootstrapping the process” by employing teleoperators—humans in remote locations who can monitor Neo Gamma’s cameras and sensors in real time and take control of its limbs when necessary.
The in-home tests will enable 1X to gather data on Neo Gamma’s performance in a home environment. Early adopters will contribute to building a substantial and valuable dataset, which 1X can leverage to train its in-house AI models and enhance Neo Gamma’s capabilities.
Although supported by OpenAI, Børnich states that 1X currently develops its core AI technology in-house. The company also collaborates with partners, including OpenAI and Nvidia, to co-train AI models on occasion.
Gathering data from microphones and cameras inside homes to train AI models naturally raises significant privacy concerns. In an email to TechCrunch, a company spokesperson stated that customers have control over when a 1X employee can access Neo Gamma’s surroundings, whether for auditing or teleoperation.
Unveiled in February, Neo Gamma is the first bipedal robot prototype that 1X plans to test outside of the lab. Compared to Neo Beta, its predecessor, Neo Gamma features an improved onboard AI model, and a knitted nylon body suit that aims to reduce potential injuries from robot-to-human contact.
Introduced in February, Neo Gamma is 1X’s first bipedal robot prototype designed for testing beyond the lab. Compared to its predecessor, Neo Beta, Neo Gamma boasts an enhanced onboard AI model and a knitted nylon bodysuit intended to minimize the risk of injuries from human-robot interactions.
At GTC, 1X demonstrated Neo Gamma’s ability to perform basic household tasks with partial assistance from a human operator. In a living room setup, the robot vacuumed, watered plants, and navigated the space without colliding with people or furniture. However, the performance wasn’t entirely smooth—at one point, Neo Gamma began shaking before collapsing into Børnich’s arms. A 1X employee attributed the mishap to weak Wi-Fi in the conference hall and a low battery.
Similar to Figure’s approach, 1X has yet to provide clear details about its early adopter program. The company has not disclosed its go-to-market strategy for Neo Gamma, though a waitlist is available on its website. Additionally, the feasibility of using Neo Gamma at home without teleoperation remains uncertain. A company spokesperson stated that 1X will offer a “more thorough explanation” at a later date.
While a few hundred or thousand individuals may have the opportunity to test an early, human-assisted version of Neo Gamma this year, fully autonomous humanoid robots available for purchase still appear to be years away.
