(Image credit: 1X)
A Norwegian robotics company has demonstrated a nylon-covered humanoid robot designed to perform household chores.
Developed by 1X, “Neo Gamma” is a bipedal android capable of performing mundane tasks such as vacuuming, doing laundry and making coffee.
A promotional video released on YouTube on February 21 shows the robot serving tea, fixing a wobbly picture frame, carrying laundry, vacuuming, washing windows and collecting groceries, before sitting at the table while its human owners eat.
While the company confirmed that the humanoid robot is not yet ready for sale, they did say that the new model is available for limited testing in a few homes. This allows engineers to try out the robot’s navigation, speech, and language capabilities using artificial intelligence (AI). These features are being developed internally, although ChatGPT developer OpenAI was an early investor.
“It’s not that far into the future that we will all have our own personal robot assistant at home, like Rosie the Robot or Baymax,” said Bernt Börnich, CEO of 1X. “However, for humanoid robots to truly become part of our daily lives, they must be developed in collaboration with humans, not in isolation.”
Introducing NEO Gamma | One More Step Home — YouTube
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“The home provides the real-world context and richness of data that humanoids need to develop intelligence and independence. It also teaches them the nuances of human life, such as opening doors for the elderly, gently handling pets, or adapting to an unpredictable environment,” Burnich said.
According to 1X, Neo Gamma was trained using human motion capture data, allowing it to walk with a “natural human stride and swing its arms,” as well as squat and sit in chairs.
Its multi-jointed arms use elastic motors that mimic human tendons, and its design includes four microphones and a speaker system for communicating with people. Its knitted exterior was designed to reduce the force of potential impacts when interacting with the environment and improve overall safety.
Neo Gamma isn’t the only humanoid robot to have recently captured the attention of businesses and the public. In February, Polish startup Clone Robotics announced its Protoclone robot, which twitched and came to life with eerie human-like movements.
California-based Figure tested its humanoid robots at a BMW plant last year and plans to introduce more this year. Texas-based rival Apptronik also plans to launch its Apollo humanoid robot for use at Mercedes-Benz plants by the end of the year. Meanwhile, Agility Robotics' Digit will also be introduced to warehouses this year.
Ben TurnerNavigate Social LinksSenior Staff Writer
Ben Turner is a Live Science UK contributor. He covers physics and astronomy, as well as other topics such as technology and climate change. He graduated from University College London with a degree in particle physics before pursuing a career in journalism. In his spare time, Ben enjoys reading, playing guitar, and embarrassing himself by playing chess.
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