Humanoid robots have long fascinated both technologists and the public, particularly for their potential in domestic environments. 1X Technologies, a company specializing in robotics, has introduced Redwood, a new artificial intelligence model designed for its humanoid robot, NEO. Redwood’s debut coincides with increasing interest in automation as a solution to labor shortages and is described as allowing NEO to autonomously perform a variety of tasks in typical home settings. The integration of real-world data into Redwood’s development aims to improve daily life at home, while also raising questions about safety and public perception of humanoid robotics. Demonstrations and early industry feedback suggest both interest and skepticism as robotics companies accelerate efforts to bring smart automation into households.
Earlier reports about 1X Technologies largely focused on teleoperated humanoid robots and experimental deployments, especially during robotics expos such as the NVIDIA GTC event, where NEO operated mainly under human control. Redwood sets itself apart by adding a layer of autonomy not previously exhibited at public showcases. Other brands in the field, like Boston Dynamics and Agility Robotics, have showcased bipedal robots for industrial and research settings, but specific focus on home autonomy, as pursued by 1X, remains relatively rare. There has been a shift in robotics R&D toward enabling robots to learn from diverse home data, with new models aiming to respond to unstructured environments and user intent more effectively.
What Capabilities Does Redwood Bring to NEO?
Redwood is designed to endow the NEO humanoid with the ability to complete various household tasks autonomously. According to 1X Technologies, practical chores such as folding laundry, answering doors, and navigating through rooms are now within NEO’s reach. This progress is attributed to the AI’s real-world training data, which was gathered from both the EVE and NEO robots during their operational testing.
How Does Redwood Achieve Generalization and Manipulation?
A key feature of Redwood is its generalized approach to task execution. The model is capable of adapting to unfamiliar items and situations, selecting appropriate hand strategies, and retrying failed grasps. It applies whole-body, multi-contact manipulation, which means NEO can brace against surfaces or shift its posture to complete complex interactions. This flexibility is further supported by mobile bi-manual manipulation, where NEO moves, positions itself, and performs actions while navigating household spaces.
What Technologies Support Redwood’s Autonomy?
Redwood’s operation is based on NEO’s built-in embedded GPU, making the AI system computationally efficient. The robot also uses a supplementary language model situated off-board to interpret and respond to voice commands. 1X Technologies states that “Redwood takes real-time voice and context to guide intent recognition and initiate tasks.”
“Redwood is NEO’s AI designed to be helpful around the home,”
remarked Eric Jang, VP of AI at 1X, highlighting the goal of deploying the model for varied household chores as its capabilities are expanded.
1X Technologies is positioning NEO as a solution to labor shortages by targeting the home environment, where robots can gather a wide spectrum of data for refining AI models. The company recognizes the necessity of addressing regulatory requirements and gaining public trust as these technologies become more widely used. The company’s leadership sees humanoid robots as a response to evolving societal needs, emphasizing careful design choices to ensure compliance and safety during integration into everyday life.
Redwood represents a step toward more capable and adaptive home robots, though deployment at scale remains limited. Potential users may benefit from observing how such systems perform in real-world households, given the unpredictability of varied settings and tasks. As home robotics advance, it will be important to monitor developments in AI training, user interaction, and reliability, as well as considerations for privacy and safety. Robotics brands continue to refine their offerings, and those interested in automation should stay updated on developments from 1X Technologies and its contemporaries as adoption grows and technical boundaries are tested.
