1X Technologies, formerly Halodi, is a Palo Alto-based AI and robotics company creating safe humanoid robots for household chores and personalized assistance. They secured $23.5 million in Series A2 funding in March 2023, led by the OpenAI Startup Fund, and a $100 million Series B round in January 2024, bringing total funding to over $125 million.

NEO’s development began with Halodi’s rebranding to 1X Technologies in March 2023. Key milestones include the unveiling of NEO Beta (September 2024), the official announcement of the NEO Home Robot with pre-orders (October 2025), and NEO Gamma with enhanced audio (February 2025). By March 2025, 1X planned to test Neo Gamma in hundreds to thousands of homes.

A significant commercial deal in December 2025 involved shipping up to 10,000 1X Neo robots to EQT’s portfolio companies for factory and warehouse use (2026-2030). At CES 2026, 1X Technologies officially unveiled Neo, integrating large models and embodied AI. A crucial software development was the January 2026 release of the “1X World Model,” an AI model enabling robots to learn tasks from videos and prompts. Initial US deliveries are targeted for late 2026, with international shipping planned for 2027.

The 1X NEO is a humanoid robot, 5 feet 6 inches (168 cm) tall and weighing 66 pounds (30 kg). Its design emphasizes safety and gentle interaction, featuring a soft 3D-lattice exterior, a lightweight composite frame, and tendon-driven joints. The robot’s aesthetic is fabric-based. For perception, NEO’s eyes are cameras, and it has four microphones with beamforming and echo cancellation, plus a three-speaker system. Its locomotion is based on a patented Tendon Drive system, using high-torque density motors for tendon-based transmissions.

The core of 1X NEO’s intelligence is the “1X World Model,” a physics-based AI model that allows the robot to learn new tasks from videos and prompts, aiming for generalization to unseen tasks without human teleoperation. The AI stack also includes a custom vision-language transformer powered by Nvidia silicon, named Redwood, tailored for humanoid form factors and capable of end-to-end mobile manipulation. NEO also features an integrated AI stack with local LLM capabilities for conversational assistance.

1X Technologies plans to deploy NEO in both consumer and industrial settings. In March 2025, testing of Neo Gamma was planned for hundreds to thousands of homes. A major commercial agreement in December 2025 will see up to 10,000 1X Neo robots deployed in EQT’s factories and warehouses between 2026 and 2030.

The 1X NEO is available for pre-order with a $200 refundable deposit. The full price is $20,000, or $500/month, positioning it as a high-end consumer device.

Significant achievements include substantial financial backing from OpenAI, validating 1X’s approach and providing resources. The development of the “1X World Model” is also key, representing a step towards autonomous robots that can learn and adapt.

A primary criticism is the disparity between marketed autonomy and current reality, with early tests showing heavy reliance on human teleoperation via “Expert Mode.” This raises privacy concerns due to remote operators accessing the robot’s cameras and sensors. While 1X addresses these with consent requirements and visual indicators, questions remain. The need for extensive data to train AI models for full autonomy is also a challenge. The $20,000 price point limits accessibility to early adopters.

1X Technologies plans to ship the first US units in late 2026, with international availability in 2027. The long-term vision is full autonomy through continued development of the “1X World Model,” moving away from human-in-the-loop training. The EQT deal signifies a strategic expansion into industrial applications alongside the consumer market, with OpenAI’s partnership crucial for AI development.