Robotics company 1X Technologies opened a 58,000-square-foot factory in Hayward, California, with the goal of constructing 100,000 humanoid robots by next year, 2027.
Despite its seemingly recent opening, 1X Technologies already has 200 employees dedicated to the full-scale production of its NEO Home Robots.
According to 1X’s website, NEO Home Robots are built to automate “boring and mundane” household chores, such as cleaning, vacuuming, carrying groceries, and taking out the trash.
The units can also play games, tell jokes, and engage in personalized “lively” conversations.
In a video on 1X’s website displaying the diversity of NEO’s abilities, the robot also appears to be able to dance.
In October 2025, 10,000 people pre-ordered a robot in only five days.
10,000 NEOs are 1X’s production capacity for one year.
The cost to pre-order one equaled $20,000 in total, although payment plans were available.
If that sounded like too much money, customers also had the option to opt for a rental plan of $499 per month with a six-month commitment.
There was a catch, though. Despite being advertised as safe, interested parties could not pre-order the product if they had young children at home.
In a press release, 1X CEO Bernt Børnich promised their customers that they would start shipping out the robots this year.
“We promised the first NEOs would ship in 2026, and we’re keeping that promise. We are working around the clock to get it to you,” the statement read.
NEO Robot Reviews
1X allowed various journalists and public figures to test the robot.
Joanna Stern from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) was one of them. Stern detailed her experience in an article for the outlet.
As advertised, the robot can load your dishwasher and fold your clothes or wipe your counters. But it may take an unusually long amount of time or nearly fall over while doing so.
Stern shared that her robot took two minutes to fold a shirt. It also took over a minute to grab her a water bottle from a fridge that was 10 feet away.
Additionally, Stern’s NEO was not exactly functioning autonomously. Behind the NEO’s eyes was a human operator controlling all its movements.
In a YouTube video, the robot was also tested by chef Nick DiGiovanni to see if it could cook.
The robot was able to scoop soup, pour salt (even if a little too much), and eventually butter baste.
It did fail, however, to flip food in a pan without spilling it, to flambé food, and to hold a knife.
“I am not allowed to hold a knife,” the NEO told DiGiovanni.
This robot’s every move was also controlled by a human operator.
It is not definitively clear whether or not the NEO will be fully autonomous for customers who pre-ordered them, or if they’ll also be controlled by a human operator behind the scenes.