1X Opens Preorders for Its Home Robot NEO, Shipping 2026

• NEO is a 5’6” soft-bodied humanoid that talks, tidies, climbs stairs, and takes commands by voice or app, built from the ground up for real homes, not research labs.
• Preorders are now open with a $200 refundable deposit, with U.S. shipping starting in 2026.

1X Technologies, based in Palo Alto, has officially unveiled NEO, a humanoid home robot that works as a chore-doer, personal assistant, and everyday companion. NEO is available for preorder now with a $200 refundable deposit. U.S. shipping starts in 2026, first for those who select the $20,000 early-access purchase, followed by subscription customers, and finally for international buyers.

NEO is built specifically for the home. It cleans, cooks (in a limited way at launch), handles recurring chores, and can carry on conversations. You can assign a list of tasks, schedule when you want them done, and come home to a tidier house. NEO can also be a social companion. It can tell jokes, answer questions, or just chat naturally without needing another device.

The robot stands 5’6”, weighs 66 lbs, and can lift up to 154 lbs. It runs on a 1X Nvidia Jetson Thor (NEO Cortex) and includes four beamforming mics and a three-stage speaker system built into its chest and pelvis. Its body is soft and wrapped in a custom 3D lattice polymer, with puncture-resistant joints, machine-washable suit and shoes, and “emotive ear rings” that show system status like battery or attention mode. NEO provides 4 hours of runtime. Recharging takes just 6 minutes per hour of use using your standard outlet, and the robot docks itself automatically.

NEO is powered by Redwood, 1X’s generalist AI model that enables it to walk, sit, stand, kneel, and climb stairs straight out of the box. Redwood allows NEO to learn and repeat tasks, improving over time through real-world experience. A built-in language model lets NEO understand natural language, interpret voice cues and visual input, and reason through instructions. You can speak to it naturally, and it will follow along, personalizing its responses as it learns your household routines.

To support more advanced or custom tasks, users can schedule 1X Experts, real employees based in the U.S., to guide NEO through chores remotely. 1X Experts can only access the robot when users schedule them, and they must be approved by voice or through the mobile app. As well, NEO’s emotive ear ring changes color when an expert session is active. Users can control NEO remotely through the mobile app or a VR headset, allowing full piloting from anywhere in the world. The mobile app is also where you schedule chores, check on its status, and monitor the robot.

NEO connects via WiFi, Bluetooth, and 5G. It works locally by default and doesn’t require data sharing. When NEO runs autonomously, small amounts of sensor data may be sent to 1X to complete a task, but the company says this data isn’t stored, never sold, and you can opt out anytime. Safety was a major focus in the design of NEO. But 1X warns that users should remain attentive during its use and follow all guidelines, especially around children, pets, and vulnerable individuals. While NEO's hands are splash-tolerant, the robot itself is not waterproof. So you can't get it wet. As 1X jokes: “Should your NEO get wet, an automatic order will be placed for a child-sized plastic swimming pool and 100 kgs of Basmati rice*. *Not really, but please don’t get NEO wet.”

Each NEO comes with a charger, a lint roller (which we assume is for its soft body clothing and shoes), and a case. You can reserve one now with a $200 refundable deposit. It comes in tan, blue, and black and has two purchasing options, including a standard $499 monthly subscription and a $20,000 early-access purchase.

🌀 Tom’s Take:

This marks a real milestone for humanoid robots and for 1X. Getting NEO into the homes of early access users will help 1X get the feedback it needs in various environments to further evolve NEO and its Redwood AI so that it is ready for the mainstream.

Source: 1X Technologies