- 1X robot production facility is now building the Neo robot
- One factory worker will look especially familiar
- The company says it’s on track to deliver the humanoid into homes this year
It’s still hard to buy your own home robot. Humanoids like Tesla Optimus and Figure AI have yet to go on sale, and 1X’s $20,000 Neo Home Robot is still on pre-order. But at least Neo is doing its best to move the operation along, as it, according to a newly released video, assists in its own production.
1X released a nearly three-minute-long video on Thursday that shows virtually the entire Neo robot production process, from machining key components to weaving the touchable or huggable fabric to dropping in an Nvidia GPU.
The video has close-up views of lathes, CNC systems, and overhead shots of a large factory where a legion of workers are assembling the robot. Throughout, however, are 1X Neo robots assisting; in essence, they’re building each other.
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While most of the robots do not appear to be operating heavy machinery, they are seen carrying, sorting, and gathering parts. One has to wonder, as they are gathering gears and pulleys from these blue bins, if they ever recognize the parts as bits and pieces of themselves.
1X has been working with Nvidia for more than a year, using its silicon and AI models to train the Neo robot in basic home care tasks, such as taking a cup from the dishwasher and putting it away. There’s obviously been a lot of training and simulation since then, which is likely what’s made Neo’s new factory worker role possible.
The other striking thing about the video is the scale of the operation. 1X says in the video description that they have 200 employees working in a 58,000 square foot facility based in Hayward, California. In one room, they appear to be building dozens of Neo robots at once. They’re all hanging off racks, usually with their heads in place, but limbs in the process of being introduced.
1X’s goal here appears to be not so much showing that its robots are part of the operation (it’s done so casually) as the expertise and care that go into each build. At one point, we see someone carefully adding the robot’s mouthless face as if he were handling fine china.
But we also see various components undergoing stress tests in plastic cages. If and when a Neo arrives in your home, it won’t enjoy the delicate care of these engineers. Family life might be rough; the stress tests are clearly designed to ensure that Neo is up to the task.
Is an all-robot production facility next?
It’s fun to see Neo’s fabric skin zipped on, but the final step, in which a lone engineer checks for tolerances, seems obviously staged, especially because it’s in such a lovely room and the engineer rolls in his own custom light wall.
One has to wonder if, as the production process ramps up and 1X starts selling hundreds (or more) of these robots, the Neo robot will take on more critical production tasks. At what point are we looking at an all-robot production facility producing nothing but robots that look like every factory worker? It’s more likely that humans will be in the loop for a long time to come, which is probably how we all like it.
Regardless, the video marks a potential turning point for humanoid robots and, more specifically, the 1X Neo home robot, which the company promises is now on track to start shipments to early customers this year. As for how many people have pre-ordered the $20,000 robot or signed up for a $499-a-month subscription plan, it’s anyone’s guess. Just know that if you do, there’s a decent chance that a Neo humanoid helped build your robot.
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lance.ulanoff@futurenet.com (Lance Ulanoff)
