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Forbes
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
10 Amazing Humanoid Robots Already Walking Among Us Today
Humanoid robots — long seen as futuristic — are already here, walking, talking, and working among ... More us. This article profiles the most advanced examples to date, including Tesla's Optimus, Boston Dynamics' Atlas, and 1X's Neo Gamma. Walking, talking humanoid robots that were once firmly the domain of science fiction are on their way. In fact, a Morgan Stanley report recently predicted that 13 million human robots will be among us by 2035, rising to one billion by 2050. But we probably won't have to wait even 10 years to see one. In fact, what could be considered the first wave of truly useful, human-like machines is already here. Recent years have seen a number of prototypes and production models stepping out of the robotics labs of some of the world's leading AI companies and into the world. In many ways, they are all very different from each other. However, they all embody the core concept of a machine that mimics our own anatomical design in order to carry out physical tasks that previously only humans could do. So in this piece, I'll take a look at some of the most advanced, useful, impressive and sometimes scary humanoid robots that are already among us today (or at least, will be soon).Optimus Generation 2 Manufacturer: Tesla Height: Approx 1.73 meters (5ft 8in) Weight: 57kg (125 lbs) Cost: Projected around $20,000 to $30,000 when produced at scale Probably the most famous of the current batch of humanoid robots. Most of the things Elon Musk does receive media attention, including his claim that he expects this robot to be more important to the company than its cars in the future. The Generation 2 model was announced in 2023 and is said to have successfully carried out tasks in Tesla factories. The robot is reportedly built around the same end-to-end automation framework as the cars, with different elements like motors, battery systems, AI and navigation networked in the same way. The main differentiators are its tactile hands and human-like motion. Optimus has been shown picking up eggs, dancing, serving drinks, performing household chores, and playing Rock Paper Scissors with Kim Kardashian. However, there has been criticism that some of Optimus's actions and speech during public demonstrations appear to be assisted by humans via telepresence (remote control) rather than truly AI-driven behavior. All-New Atlas Manufacturer: Boston Dynamics Height: Approx 1.5 meters (4ft 11in) Weight: 80kg Cost: Unknown – not commercially available This is the name currently being used for what will be the newest model in the Atlas series. Since 2013, videos of Boston Dynamics' Atlas robots, most recently Atlas HD, have amazed and amused YouTube audiences, where it has been seen sprinting, flipping, dancing and often falling over in amusing ways. Unlike previous models, the All-New Atlas is fully electric rather than powered by hydraulics. The switch-over will make the robots lighter and more damage-resistant, with more precise control over their movements. See highlights of the previous Atlas models here and meet the All-New Atlas here. Neo Gamma Manufacturer: 1X Technologies Height: 1.65m (5ft 3in) Weight: 30kg (66lbs) Cost: Expected price $20,000 - $30,000 Neo Gamma is a domestic robot capable of carrying out chores like vacuum cleaning, laundry folding, and loading dishwashers, according to videos released by the OpenAI-backed US/Norwegian manufacturer. Rather than being armored in hard plastic or steel, Neo Gamma's 'skin' is crafted from a cushiony nylon fabric, designed to both look more comfortable at home and enhance safety. A previous model, Neo Beta, was capable of running at 7 mph, although there's no detail yet about how that might change with the Gamma. Its mechanical framework is built around tendon-driven actuators designed to give the humanoid a realistic range of motions and movements. And it can also engage in human-like conversations thanks to its custom LLM. You can see a promotional video created by 1X to announce the arrival of Neo Gamma here. GR-2 Manufacturer: Fourier Intelligence Height: 1.75m (5ft 7in) Weight: 63kg (139lbs) Cost: Not publicly known, but previous GR-1 models were reportedly priced at $149,000 Touted as 'the world's first mass-produced humanoid robot', GR-2's hands are said to be twice as dexterous as those found on its predecessor, the GR-1. Currently, Fourier's humanoids are largely used in academic and industrial settings, but trials are taking place to assess their use in domestic and caregiving settings, too. The GR-2 can walk at up to 5 mph and excels at handling objects in a tactile way, being capable of adjusting its grip in real time to suit different tasks and objects. See GR-2 in action here, and this video explores some of the ways that GR-2 has improved on GR-1. H1 Manufacturer: Unitree Height: 1.78m (5ft 10in) Weight: 47kg (104 lbs) Cost: From $16,000 In 2024, H1 took the Guinness World Record for the fastest running speed achieved by an electric (non-hydraulic) bipedal humanoid robot, of 7.38 mph. This Chinese-designed humanoid has a 360-degree perception of its environment thanks to LiDAR sensors and is able to walk, run and perform backflips using electric actuators alone. It is built on open-source technology in order to make it accessible to a wider range of businesses with limited budgets. In one video, it's also seen opening bottles of Coke, frying food in a pan, operating a hammer and soldering iron, and folding itself up into a package small enough to be carried. Figure 02 Manufacturer: Figure AI Height: Approx 1.68 meters (5ft 6in) Weight: 70kg (155 lbs) Cost: Not publicly disclosed, projected at around $150,000 F 02 could be considered the workhorse of the humanoid robot world, considering it has been successfully put to work at BMW's Spartanburg, U.S. manufacturing plant. Working on production lines, it has been credited with achieving a 400% increase in speed of work over its predecessor model F 01. Other units have been shipped to undisclosed customers who have put them to work in warehouses and factories. In the industrial setting for which it's designed, it can move safely among human workers, lifting large objects as well as carrying out precision tasks. Figure is powered by a proprietary AI model created for it by OpenAI, with Figure also receiving funding from OpenAI, Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia and Intel. This video shows some clips of Figure 02 in action, as well as having a conversation. Digit Manufacturer: Agility Robotics Height: Approx 1.75 meters (5ft 9in) Weight: 70kg (155 lbs) Cost: Not publicly disclosed This robot is specialized for factory work and, alongside the F 01 and F 02, is one of the few robots known to have been commercially sold and deployed. Use cases have focused on repetitive logistics tasks where it is capable of picking up and carrying objects, retrieving items from shelves and sorting into totes. Phoenix Manufacturer: Sanctuary AI Height: Approx 1.7 meters (5ft 7in) Weight: 70kg (155 lbs) Cost: Not publicly disclosed What sets Phoenix apart from other industrial humanoids, such as F 02 and Digit, is its superior ability to learn new tasks. While training robots to complete physical tasks they haven't attempted before is often a weeks-long process, Phoenix has been able to cut this down to just 24 hours. In addition to industrial settings, Phoenix has been commercially deployed in retail premises, where it was responsible for stocking shelves and packaging customer orders during its pilot tenure at a Canadian clothing store. Watch Phoenix become faster at performing repetitive human tasks here. Apollo Manufacturer: Apptronik Height: 1.73m (5ft 8in) Weight: 72kg (160lbs) Cost: Unknown This heavy-hitting industrial humanoid can lift 25k in its arms while navigating aisles and loading bays. It can palletize goods and has completed successful pilots with Mercedes-Benz as well as NASA, which has been backing the manufacturer since Apptronik took part in the DARPA Robotics Challenge in 2013. Apptronik itself was initially spun out of the University of Texas's Human-Centered Robotics Lab, with the specific aim of advancing humanoid use in industry. Check out this short video introducing Apollo and some of the tasks it can carry out. Booster T1 Manufacturer: Booster Robotics Height: 1.2m (4ft) Weight: 30kg (66lbs) Cost: Currently sells for Euro 39,000 in France, and $47,685 in the U.S. Four teams of these robots, operated fully autonomously, competed in three-versus-three soccer matches in China. Four university teams competed in what is said to be the first fully autonomous championship featuring robots playing 'human sports'. The robots are capable of working as a team to control the ball and score goals, and are capable of withstanding impacts from the ball or other players, and picking themselves up after falling. Viewers commented that pro footballers shouldn't worry about their jobs yet and two players were 'stretchered off' after becoming damaged. But it was still an exciting preview of what could be in store at the first World Humanoid Robot Games, which will also take place in China. You can see footage of the robot-versus-robot match here. As these remarkable machines continue to evolve, the line between science fiction and reality is disappearing fast. Whether they're helping in factories, folding laundry, or playing football, humanoid robots are no longer just prototypes; they're becoming co-workers, companions, and collaborators in our daily lives. The real question now is: how ready are we for them?
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Time of India
Police bust betting racket during women's cricket match in Indore
Indore: In a late-night operation on Wednesday, Rajendra Nagar police searched a cricket turf and busted a betting racket that was operating under the guise of a women's cricket match. Additional DCP Alok Sharma said that the match was being streamed live on YouTube under the name 'Female Indoor Cricket League', while bets were being placed through a mobile application called '1X' allegedly operated from Delhi. Sharma said that the authorities received intelligence about these activities for some time, particularly regarding matches held at a turf near Treasure Town Colony in Bijalpur, where female players participated in seemingly legitimate games that were used as a front for illegal online betting. Acting on this information, the police team reached the location and detained Anurag Dalal, who was living at a rented accommodation in Treasure Town and is originally from Delhi. During questioning, Anurag revealed that the entire operation was orchestrated by his friend Siddharth Rai, who resides in Delhi. According to Anurag, Siddharth handled the live broadcast of the matches on YouTube and facilitated the betting transactions using a specially developed application. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 不加糖「愛文芒果乾」，每顆鮮果只取2片製作，品質高口感好，超85%用戶回購 Foodmall 立即選購 Undo Based on this revelation, Siddharth has also been named as an accused, and efforts are underway to track him down, along with other individuals involved in the network. Sharma said that a team will be sent to Delhi in search of the accused. At the time of the search, women were actively playing cricket on the turf while two cameras captured the live footage for the YouTube stream. "It is a matter of investigation if the women knew about the betting. Actions will be taken if necessary," he said. The police seized several electronic items from the site, including two mobile phones, a customised CPU, two monitors, two cameras, a UPS, a Cyber Power DVR and a router. In addition, a diary containing betting records and approximately Rs 35,000 in cash were also recovered. The police are now analysing technical evidence to expose the full extent of the betting syndicate.
The Star
05-05-2025
- Business
- The Star
Invasion of the home humanoid robots
REDWOOD CITY, California: On a recent morning, I knocked on the front door of a handsome two-story home in Redwood City, California. Within seconds, the door was opened by a faceless robot dressed in a beige bodysuit that clung tight to its trim waist and long legs. This svelte humanoid greeted me with what seemed to be a Scandinavian accent, and I offered to shake hands. As our palms met, it said: 'I have a firm grip.' When the home's owner, a Norwegian engineer named Bernt Børnich, asked for some bottled water, the robot turned, walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator with one hand. Artificial intelligence is already driving cars, writing essays and writing computer code. Now humanoids, machines built to look like humans and powered by AI, are poised to move into our homes so they can help with the daily chores. Børnich is CEO and founder of a startup called 1X. Before the end of the year, his company hopes to put his robot, Neo, into more than 100 homes in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. His startup is among the dozens of companies planning to sell humanoids for homes and businesses. Investors have poured US$7.2bil (RM31.49bil) into more than 50 startups since 2015, according to PitchBook, a research firm that tracks the tech industry. The humanoid frenzy reached a new peak last year, when investments topped US$1.6bil (RM7bil). That did not include the billions that Elon Musk and Tesla, his electric car company, are pumping into Optimus, a humanoid they began building in 2021. Entrepreneurs like Børnich and Musk believe that humanoids will one day do much of the physical work that is now handled by people, including household chores like wiping counters and emptying dishwashers, warehouse work like sorting packages, and factory labour like building cars on an assembly line. Simpler robots – small robotic arms and autonomous carts, for instance – have long shared the workload at warehouses and factories. Now companies are betting that machines can tackle a wider range of tasks by mimicking the ways that people walk, bend, twist, reach, grip and generally get things done. Because homes, offices and warehouses are already built for humans, these companies argue, humanoids are better equipped to navigate the world than any other robot. The push toward humanoid labour has been building for years, fueled by advances in both robotic hardware and AI technologies that allow robots to rapidly learn new skills. But these humanoids are still a bit of a mirage. Internet videos have circulated for years showing the remarkable dexterity of these machines, but they are often remotely guided by humans. And simple tasks like loading the dishwasher are anything but simple for them. 'There are many videos out there that give a false impression of these robots,' said Ken Goldberg, a robotics professor at the University of California, Berkeley. 'Though they look like humans, they aren't always behaving like humans.' Neo said 'Hello' with a Scandinavian accent because it was operated by a Norwegian technician in the basement of Børnich's home. (Ultimately, the company wants to build call centers where perhaps dozens of technicians would support robots.) The robot walked through the dining room and kitchen on its own. But the technician spoke for Neo and remotely guided its hands via a virtual reality headset and two wireless joysticks. Robots are still learning to navigate the world on their own. And they need a lot of help doing it. At least for now. 'I saw a level of hardware that I did not think was possible.' I first visited 1X's offices in Silicon Valley nearly a year ago. When a robot named Eve entered the room, opening and closing the door, I could not shake the feeling that this wide-eyed robot was really a person in costume. Eve moved on wheels, not legs. Yet it still felt human. I thought of Sleeper , the 1973 Woody Allen sci-fi comedy filled with robotic butlers. The company's engineers had already built Neo, but it hadn't learned to walk. An early version hung on the wall of the company's lab. In 2022, Børnich logged on to a Zoom call with an AI researcher named Eric Jang. They had never met. Jang, now 30, worked in a robotics lab at Google's Silicon Valley headquarters, and Børnich, now 42, ran a startup in Norway called Halodi Robotics. A would-be investor had asked Jang to gather some information about Halodi to see if it was worth an investment. Børnich showed off Eve. It was something he had dreamed of building since he was a teenager, inspired – like many roboticists – by science fiction (his personal favorite: the 1982 movie Blade Runner ). Jang was entranced by the way that Eve moved. He compared the Zoom call to a scene in the sci-fi television drama Westworld in which a man attends a cocktail party and is shocked to learn that everyone in the room is a robot. 'I saw a level of hardware that I did not think was possible,' Jang said. The would-be investor did not invest in Halodi. But Jang soon convinced Børnich to join forces. Jang was part of a Google team teaching robots new skills using mathematical systems called neural networks, which allow robots to learn from data that depicts real-world tasks. After seeing Eve, Jang told Børnich that they should apply the same technique to humanoids. The result was a cross-Atlantic company they renamed 1X. The startup, which has grown to around 200 employees, is now backed by over US$125mil (RM546.75mil) in funding from investors that include Tiger Global and OpenAI. 'All of this is learned behaviour.' When I returned to the company's lab about six months after meeting Eve, I was greeted by a walking Neo. They had taught it to walk entirely in the digital world. By simulating the physics of the real world in a video-game-like environment, they could train a digital version of their robot to stand and balance and, eventually, take steps. After months spent training this digital robot, they transferred everything it had learned to a physical humanoid. If I stepped into Neo's path, it would stop and move around me. If I pushed its chest, it stayed on its feet. Sometimes, it stumbled or did not quite know what to do. But it could walk around a room much like people do. 'All of this is learned behaviour,' Jang said, as Neo clicked against the floor with each step. 'If we put it into any environment, it should know how to do this.' Training a robot to do household chores, however, is an entirely different prospect. Because the physics of loading a dishwasher or folding laundry are exceedingly complex, 1X cannot teach these tasks in the virtual world. It has to gather data inside real homes. When I visited Børnich's home a month later, Neo started to struggle with the refrigerator's stainless-steel door. The robot's WiFi connection had dropped. But once the hidden technician rebooted the WiFi, he seamlessly guided the robot through its small task. Neo handed me a bottled water. I also watched Neo load a washing machine, squatting gingerly to lift clothes from a laundry basket. And as Børnich and I chatted outside the kitchen, the robot started wiping the counters. All of this was done via remote control. Even when controlled by humans, Neo might drop a cup or struggle to find the right angle as it tries to toss an empty bottle into a garbage can under a sink. Though humanoids have improved by leaps and bounds over the past decade, they are still not as nimble as humans. Neo, for instance, cannot raise its arms above its head. Neo can also feel a little creepy, like anything else that seems partly human and partly not. Talking to it is particularly strange, given that you are really talking to a remote technician. It's like talking to a ventriloquist's dummy. 'What we are selling is more of a journey than a destination.' By guiding Neo through households chores, Børnich and his team can gather data – using cameras and other sensors installed on the robot itself – that show how these tasks are done. Then 1X engineers can use this data to expand and improve Neo's skills. Just as ChatGPT can learn to write term papers by analysing text culled from the internet, a robot can learn to clean windows by pinpointing patterns in hours of digital video. Most humanoid efforts, including Musk's Optimus and similar projects like Apptronik and Figure AI, are designing humanoids for warehouses and factories, arguing that these tightly controlled environments will be easier for robots to navigate. But through selling humanoids into homes, 1X hopes to gather enormous amounts of data that can ultimately show these robots how to handle the chaos of daily life. First the company must find people who will welcome an early version of a strange new technology into their homes – and pay for it. 1X has not yet set a price for these machines, which it manufactures at its own factory in Norway. Building a humanoid like Neo costs about as much as building a small car – tens of thousands of dollars. To reach its potential, Neo must capture video of what happens inside homes. In some cases, technicians will see what happens in real time. Fundamentally, this is a robot that learns on the job. 'What we are selling is more of a journey than a destination,' Børnich said. 'It is going to be a really bumpy road, but Neo will do things that are truly useful.' 'We want you to give us your data on your terms.' When I asked Børnich how the company would handle privacy once the humanoids were inside customers' homes, he explained that technicians, working from remote call centers, would only take control of the robot if they received approval from the owner via a smartphone app. He also said data would not be used to train new systems until at least 24 hours after it was gathered. That would allow 1X to delete any videos that customers did not want the company to use. 'We want you to give us your data on your terms,' Børnich said. Using this data, Børnich hopes to produce a humanoid that can do almost any household chore. That means Neo could potentially replace workers who make their living cleaning homes. But that is still years away – at best. And because of growing shortage of workers who handle both house cleaning and care of elders and children, organizations that represent these workers welcome the rise of new technologies that do work in the home – provided that companies like 1X build robots that work well alongside human workers. 'These tools could make some of the more strenuous, taxing and dangerous work easier and allow workers to focus on things that only human workers can offer,' said Ai-jen Poo, president of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which represents the country's house cleaners, home-care workers and nannies. Soon, Neo began cleaning the towering windows on the side of the house. Then as I turned back to Børnich, I heard a crash on the kitchen floor. After an electrical malfunction, Neo had fallen over backward – fainting dead away. Børnich picked the robot up as if it were a small teenager, carried it into the living room and laid it down on a chair. Even passed out, Neo looked human. Other humanoids I've met can be intimidating. Neo, under 5 1/2 feet tall and 66 pounds, is not. But I still wondered if it could injure a pet – or a child – with a fall like that. Will people let this machine into their homes? How quickly will its skills improve? Can it free people from their daily chores? These questions cannot yet be answered. But Børnich is pressing forward. 'There are a lot of people like me,' he said. 'They've dreamed of having something like this in their home since they were a kid.' – ©2025 The New York Times Company This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
New York Times
04-04-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Invasion of the Home Humanoid Robots
On a recent morning, I knocked on the front door of a handsome two-story home in Redwood City, Calif. Within seconds, the door was opened by a faceless robot dressed in a beige bodysuit that clung tight to its trim waist and long legs. This svelte humanoid greeted me with what seemed to be a Scandinavian accent, and I offered to shake hands. As our palms met, it said: 'I have a firm grip.' When the home's owner, a Norwegian engineer named Bernt Børnich, asked for some bottled water, the robot turned, walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator with one hand. Artificial intelligence is already driving cars, writing essays and even writing computer code. Now, humanoids, machines built to look like humans and powered by A.I., are poised to move into our homes so they can help with the daily chores. Mr. Børnich is chief executive and founder of a start-up called 1X. Before the end of the year, his company hopes to put his robot, Neo, into more than 100 homes in Silicon Valley and elsewhere. His start-up is among the dozens of companies planning to sell humanoids and get them into both homes and businesses. Investors have poured $7.2 billion into more than 50 start-ups since 2015, according to PitchBook, a research firm that tracks the tech industry. The humanoid frenzy reached a new peak last year, when investments topped $1.6 billion. And that did not include the billions that Elon Musk and Tesla, his electric car company, are pumping into Optimus, a humanoid they began building in 2021. Entrepreneurs like Mr. Børnich and Mr. Musk believe humanoids will one day do much of the physical work that is now handled by people, including household chores like wiping counters and emptying dishwashers, warehouse jobs like sorting packages and factory labor like building cars on an assembly line. Simpler robots — small robotic arms and autonomous carts, for instance — have long shared the workload inside warehouses and factories. Now, companies are betting that machines can tackle a wider range of tasks by mimicking the ways that people walk, bend, twist, reach, grip and generally get things done. Because homes, offices and warehouses are already built for humans, these companies argue, humanoids are better equipped to navigate the world than any other robot. The push toward humanoid labor has been building for years, fueled by advances in both robotic hardware and A.I. technologies that allow robots to rapidly learn new skills. But these humanoids are still a bit of a mirage. Internet videos have circulated for years showing the remarkable dexterity of these machines, but very often, they are remotely guided by humans. And simple tasks like loading the dishwasher are anything but simple for them. 'There are many videos out there that give a false impression of these robots,' said Ken Goldberg, a robotics professor at the University of California, Berkeley. 'Though they look like humans, they aren't always behaving like humans.' Neo said 'Hello' with a Scandinavian accent because it was operated by a Norwegian technician in the basement of Mr. Børnich's home. (Ultimately, the company wants to build call centers where perhaps dozens of technicians would support robots.) The robot walked through the dining room and kitchen on its own. But the technician spoke for Neo and remotely guided its hands via a virtual reality headset and two wireless joysticks. Robots are still learning to navigate the world on their own. And they need a lot of help doing it. At least, for now. 'I saw a level of hardware that I did not think was possible.' I first visited 1X's offices in Silicon Valley nearly a year ago. When a robot named Eve entered the room, opening and closing the door, I could not shake the feeling that this wide-eyed robot was really a person in costume. Eve moved on wheels, not legs. And yet, it still felt human. I thought of 'Sleeper,' the 1973 Woody Allen sci-fi comedy filled with robotic butlers. The company's engineers had already built Neo, but it hadn't learned to walk. An early version hung on the wall of the company's lab. In 2022, Mr. Børnich logged onto a Zoom call with an A.I. researcher named Eric Jang. They had never met. Mr. Jang, now 30, worked in a robotics lab at Google's Silicon Valley headquarters, and Mr. Børnich, now 42, ran a start-up in Norway called Halodi Robotics. A would-be investor had asked Mr. Jang to gather some information on Halodi, to see if it was worth an investment. Mr. Børnich showed off the company's humanoid, Eve. It was something he had dreamed of building since he was a teenager, inspired — like many roboticists — by science fiction (his personal favorite: the 1982 movie 'Blade Runner'). Mr. Jang was entranced by the way that Eve moved. He compared the Zoom call to a scene in the sci-fi television drama 'Westworld' in which a man attends a cocktail party and is shocked to learn that everyone in the room is a robot. 'I saw a level of hardware that I did not think was possible,' Mr. Jang said. The would-be investor did not invest in Halodi. But Mr. Jang soon convinced Mr. Børnich to join forces. Mr. Jang was part of a Google team teaching robots new skills using mathematical systems called neural networks, which allow robots to learn from data that depicts real-world tasks. After seeing Eve, Mr. Jang told Mr. Børnich they should apply the same technique to humanoids. The result was a cross-Atlantic company they renamed 1X. The start-up, which has grown to around 200 employees, is now backed by over $125 million in funding from investors that include Tiger Global and the artificial intelligence start-up OpenAI. 'All of this is learned behavior.' When I returned to the company's lab about six months after meeting Eve, I was greeted by a walking Neo. They had taught it to walk entirely in the digital world. By simulating the physics of the real world in a video-game-like environment, they could train a digital version of their robot to stand and balance and, eventually, take steps. After months spent training this digital robot, they transferred everything it had learned to a physical humanoid. If I stepped into Neo's path, it would stop and move around me. If I pushed its chest, it stayed on its feet. Sometimes, it stumbled or did not quite know what to do. But it could walk around a room much like people do. 'All of this is learned behavior,' Mr. Jang said, as Neo clicked against the floor with each step. 'If we put it into any environment, it should know how to do this.' Training a robot to do household chores, however, is an entirely different prospect. Because the physics of loading a dishwasher or folding laundry are exceedingly complex, 1X cannot teach these tasks in the virtual world. They have to gather data inside real homes. When I visited Mr. Børnich's home a month later, Neo started to struggle with the refrigerator's stainless-steel door. The robot's Wi-Fi connection had dropped. But once the hidden technician rebooted the Wi-Fi, he seamlessly guided the robot through its small task. Neo handed me a bottled water. I also watched Neo load a washing machine, squatting gingerly to lift clothes from a laundry basket. And as Mr. Børnich and I chatted outside the kitchen, the robot started wiping the counters. All this was done via remote control. Even when controlled by humans, Neo might drop a cup or struggle to find the right angle as it tries to toss an empty bottle into a garbage can under a sink. Though humanoids have improved by leaps and bounds over the past decade, they are still not as nimble as humans. Neo, for instance, cannot raise its arms above its head. For the uninitiated, Neo can also feel a little creepy, like anything else that seems partly human and partly not. Talking to it is particularly strange, given that you are really talking to a remote technician. It's like talking to a ventriloquist's dummy. 'What we are selling is more of a journey than a destination.' By guiding Neo through households chores, Mr. Børnich and his team can gather data — using cameras and other sensors installed on the robot itself — that show how these tasks are done. Then 1X engineers can use this data to expand and improve Neo's skills. Just as ChatGPT can learn to write term papers by analyzing text culled from the internet, a robot can learn to clean windows by pinpointing patterns in hours of digital video. Most humanoid efforts, including Mr. Musk's Optimus and similar projects like Apptronik and Figure AI, are designing humanoids for warehouses and factories, arguing that these tightly controlled environments will be easier for robots to navigate. But through selling humanoids into homes, 1X hopes to gather enormous amounts of data that can ultimately show these robots how to handle the chaos of daily life. First, the company must find people who will welcome an early version of a strange new technology into their homes — and pay for it. 1X has not yet set a price for these machines, which it manufactures inside its own factory in Norway. Building a humanoid like Neo costs about as much as building a small car — tens of thousands of dollars. To reach its potential, Neo must capture video of what happens inside homes. In some cases, technicians will see what happens in real time. Fundamentally, this is a robot that learns on the job. 'What we are selling is more of a journey than a destination,' Mr. Børnich said. 'It is going to be a really bumpy road, but Neo will do things that are truly useful.' 'We want you to give us your data on your terms.' When I asked Mr. Børnich how the company would handle privacy once the humanoids were inside customers' homes, he explained that technicians, working from remote call centers, would only take control of the robot if they received approval from the owner via a smartphone app. He also said that data would not be used to train new systems until at least 24 hours after it was gathered. That would allow 1X to delete any videos that customers do not want the company to use. 'We want you to give us your data on your terms,' Mr. Børnich said. Using this data, Mr. Børnich hopes to produce a humanoid that can do almost any household chore. That means Neo could potentially replace workers who make their living cleaning homes. But that is still years away — at best. And because of growing shortage of workers who handle both house cleaning and care of elders and children, organizations that represent these workers welcome the rise of new technologies that do work in the home — provided that companies like 1X build robots that work well alongside human workers. 'These tools could make some of the more strenuous, taxing and dangerous work easier — and allow workers to focus on things that only human workers can offer,' said Ai-jen Poo, president of the National Domestic Workers Alliance, which represents the country's house cleaners, home-care workers and nannies. Soon, Neo began cleaning the towering windows on the side of the house. Then, as I turned back to Mr. Børnich, I heard a crash on the kitchen floor. After an electrical malfunction, Neo had fallen over backward — fainting dead away. Mr. Børnich picked the robot up, like it was small teenager, carried it into the living room and laid it down on a chair. Even when Neo passed out, it looked human. Other humanoids I've met can be intimidating. Neo, less than five and half feet tall and a 66 pounds, is not. But I still wondered if it could injure a pet — or a child — with a fall like that. Will people let this machine into their homes? How quickly will its skills improve? Can it free people from their daily chores? These questions cannot yet be answered. But Mr. Børnich is pressing forward. 'There are a lot of people like me," he said. 'They've dreamed of having something like this in their home since they were a kid.'
Fox News
19-03-2025
- Business
- Fox News
Fox News AI Newsletter: 'America's great industrial comeback'
IN TODAY'S NEWSLETTER: -- Vance knocks globalization's 'cheap labor' and lauds 'America's great industrial comeback' at AI summit-- Home robot automates household chores like Rosie from 'The Jetsons'-- AI dashcams enhance trucker safety while raising privacy concerns-- Getting divorced? Artificial intelligence deepfakes could cost you in court 'INDUSTRIAL COMEBACK': Vice President JD Vance knocked recent globalization efforts that use "cheap labor as a crutch" while simultaneously hampering innovation on the global scale during a Tuesday tech and artificial intelligence speech. NO MORE CHORES: Developed by the artificial intelligence company 1X, NEO Gamma isn't your clunky, metallic automaton. It is designed to be a helpful, almost human-like assistant. AI DASHCAM DILEMMA: The trucking industry is in the midst of a technological revolution, thanks to the arrival of artificial intelligence-powered dashcams. These innovative devices promise to make roads safer and operations more efficient, but they also raise some important questions about privacy. REAL 'THREAT': Americans looking to settle a divorce and obtain custody of their children could rack up unforeseen court costs by trying to disprove artificial intelligence (AI)-generated deepfake videos, photographs and documents, according to a leading family law attorney. FOLLOW FOX NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA FacebookInstagramYouTubeTwitterLinkedIn SIGN UP FOR OUR OTHER NEWSLETTERS Fox News FirstFox News OpinionFox News LifestyleFox News Health DOWNLOAD OUR APPS Fox NewsFox BusinessFox WeatherFox SportsTubi WATCH FOX NEWS ONLINE STREAM FOX NATION Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future with Fox News here.
