In this week's What We're Watching, Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern takes a close look at the 1X Neo, one of the first humanoid robots designed for home use. Priced around $20,000, the Neo blurs the line between futuristic automation and human tele-operation—offering a look at how far this technology has come, and how far it still has to go.
While it's built for domestic settings, the Neo raises interesting questions for manufacturers and automation engineers alike: where does human oversight end and autonomy begin, and what does that balance mean for cost, safety, and deployment on the factory floor? It's a fascinating reminder that as robotics edges closer to everyday life, the lessons learned at home may soon influence how robots collaborate with workers in industrial environments.
Laura Davis is the editor in chief of New Equipment Digest (NED), a brand part of the Manufacturing Group at EndeavorB2B. NED covers all products, equipment, solutions, and technology related to the broad scope of manufacturing, from mops and buckets to robots and automation. Laura has been a manufacturing product writer for eight years, knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the industry, along with what readers are looking for when wanting to learn about the latest products on the market.