Norwegian robotics startup 1X is preparing to move its humanoid robot Neo Gamma from controlled demonstrations into real homes. The company’s plan is not a broad consumer launch, but an early test program meant to help the robot learn in the setting where 1X ultimately wants it to operate.
According to CEO Bernt Børnich, Neo Gamma is expected to enter “a few hundred to a few thousand” homes by the end of 2025. The tests will put early adopters at the center of 1X’s development process, while also raising practical questions about autonomy, privacy, safety and what home robots can actually do today.
What 1X Plans To Test
Børnich told TechCrunch at Nvidia GTC 2025 that “Neo Gamma is going into homes this year.” He said 1X wants early adopters to help develop the system by taking the robot into their homes and teaching it how to behave around people.
That wording matters. 1X is not presenting Neo Gamma as a finished home product that can operate entirely on its own. The company is framing the program as a learning phase, where real household environments become part of the robot’s training process.
The goal is to collect data on how Neo Gamma works inside homes. Early users will help generate a dataset that 1X can use to train in-house AI models and improve the robot’s capabilities over time.
1X is backed by OpenAI, but Børnich said the company currently trains its core AI technology in-house. He also said 1X “occasionally” co-trains AI models with partners, including OpenAI and Nvidia.
Why Teleoperation Is Central
Neo Gamma can use AI to walk and balance, but it is not fully autonomous today. To make the home tests possible, 1X plans to rely on teleoperators: people in remote locations who can see through the robot’s cameras and sensors in real time and control its limbs when needed.
Børnich described this as “bootstrapping the process.” In plain terms, the robot will learn from the home environment while humans help it perform tasks and avoid situations it cannot yet handle independently.
That makes the early version of Neo Gamma very different from the simple image of a humanoid robot that a person buys and uses without outside help. A few hundred or a few thousand early adopters may get to try a human-assisted version in 2025, but the source makes clear that fully autonomous humanoid robots for ordinary home purchase still appear to be many years away.
What Neo Gamma Has Shown So Far
Neo Gamma was unveiled in February. It is the first bipedal robot prototype that 1X plans to test outside of the lab.
Compared with Neo Beta, the earlier version, Neo Gamma includes an improved onboard AI model. It also has a knitted nylon body suit that is intended to reduce possible injuries from contact between the robot and people.
During a demonstration at GTC, 1X showed Neo Gamma doing basic tasks in a living room setting. The robot vacuumed, watered plants and moved around the room without hitting people or furniture. The demo was only partially powered by the robot itself, because a human operator was involved.
The demonstration also showed the limits of the system. At one point, Neo Gamma started shaking and then collapsed into Børnich’s arms. A 1X employee attributed the problem to spotty Wi-Fi in the conference hall and low battery.
Those details underline the gap between a promising prototype and a dependable home appliance. In a home, a humanoid robot has to move safely near furniture, people and everyday objects. It also has to work through the ordinary messiness of domestic life, not just a prepared lab setting.
The Privacy And Safety Questions
Putting cameras and microphones inside people’s homes creates obvious privacy concerns. 1X’s tests depend on data from the home, and teleoperation means a person outside the home may be able to view what Neo Gamma sees through its sensors.
In an email to TechCrunch, a company spokesperson said customers can decide when a 1X employee can view Neo Gamma’s surroundings, whether for auditing or teleoperation. That gives users some control, though the full details of how the system will work have not yet been explained.
The safety stakes are also higher in the home than in a lab. The source compares the risk to autonomous vehicle startups putting robotaxis on public roads: when machines move around people in uncontrolled environments, mistakes can escalate quickly.
For 1X, the knitted nylon body suit is one visible attempt to reduce risk from contact. But the larger safety question is whether the robot can become reliable enough to operate around people without constant human help.
A Crowded Race With Unclear Timelines
1X is not alone in trying to bring humanoid robots closer to the home. Figure, a Bay Area-based competitor with an active social media presence, announced in February that it would also begin home tests of its humanoid robots in 2025.
Bloomberg later reported that Figure was in talks for a $1.5 billion fundraise at a $40 billion valuation. OpenAI, which is an investor in 1X, is also reportedly exploring building its own humanoid robots.
The interest around humanoid robots for the home has grown sharply in recent months. But the details of 1X’s early adopter program remain limited. The company has not revealed its go-to-market strategy for Neo Gamma, although it has a waitlist on its website.
It is also still unclear how home use will work without teleoperation. A 1X spokesperson said the company will provide a “more thorough explanation” at a later date.
For now, Neo Gamma represents an important step into real homes rather than a finished consumer robot. The 2025 tests may help 1X gather the data it needs, but they also show why the path from humanoid robot prototype to everyday household product is still long.