As a big proponent of artificial intelligence, my biggest qualm with it is that we're moving too quickly. Too many firms and businesses want to be the first to release this kind of AI, or that kind of bot, and the advancement is moving so quickly that I worry we won't have time to align whatever it is we're creating properly.
For instance, just a year ago, I predicted it'd be a decade before we saw autonomous robots in the home. I kept having to shorten that time frame because companies were racing like crazy to be the one that releases the first model. The last prediction I made was five years before we saw clankers doing your housework.
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Now, I have to erase the timeline altogether because it seems autonomous house robots are here.
1X, a robot company in Palo Alto, California, has officially released "NEO," a housework robot that you can purchase right now. It even came with a fun little video demonstrating its capabilities and hyping it up.
NEO The Home Robot
— 1X (@1x_tech) October 28, 2025
Order Today pic.twitter.com/fTQtCHB4UW
As you can see, NEO is a friendly-looking robot that still has issues with the uncanny valley in terms of looks. The robot looks like a bipedal Alexa, with its exoskeleton covered in fabric and soft plastics. According to the video, the bot can organize, put away dirty laundry, load your washer and dryer, unload the dishwasher, and carry about 55 pounds of weight. It can vacuum and interact with you like a conversational AI would.
According to its website, you can order one right now, and deliveries will begin in 2026.
This is kinda cool, but I'm also kind of wary. As usual, I want to remind everyone that I'm not worried about AI turning on its masters and starting a war for domination of the planet. That's a Hollywood trope.
What I am worried about is a lot more practical. In the race to release the first house robot, they might have released one that feels a bit undercooked. Watching it walk around reveals that it's not the most agile thing, and I can see it getting tripped up on things and possibly causing more damage to property and possibly people through its clumsiness.
What if it falls? Does it pick itself up? It troubles me that I don't see any videos showing that possibility from the company. It can navigate stairs, but bending the leg slightly more or less than usual doesn't really tell me if it can control a fall and pick itself back up after it does. One thing they try to show is the robot helping an elderly person, and I have no doubt that these robots will be a big help to the elderly, but if the robot falls and can't pick itself back up, then it just becomes another hazard to the person it was designed to help.
As cool as the video looks, I feel like it didn't properly demonstrate the bot's abilities. The houses it operates in are relatively open, and there isn't exactly a lot in its way. The tasks it performs are mundane, and I'm not entirely sure the price tag is worth watching a robot do something in 30 minutes that it takes you to do in five.
With a bit more development, I think a robot in the home could be great, but I really don't think they're there yet. AI isn't exactly what I would call "intelligent" yet, though it absolutely seems like it, and the lack of agility in these robots makes it feel more like sideshow attractions than actual helpers. A great conversation piece, but maybe not a full-on helper.
If you want to purchase an at-home bot, I'd let this tech cook for a few more years. Right now, I feel like you'd be purchasing experimental tech that's too experimental.
