Scandi robot servant Neo Gamma is dressed head-to-toe in beige knitwear

Norwegian robotics firm 1X has developed a humanoid robot for home chores that is wrapped in beige knitwear to "complement living spaces rather than disrupt them".

An evolution of 1X's Neo Beta, Neo Gamma was designed with a more Scandi, minimalist look than its black-and-grey forebearer in a bid to make the robot more approachable.

The household helper was designed to complete a variety of tasks from tidying and vacuuming to doing the laundry, with an integrated AI system allowing it to approximate human speech and body language.

Having developed a functioning prototype, 1X is now looking to test the Neo Gamma in a home environment, although mass production and deployment are still some way off.

"There is a not-so-distant future where we all have our own robot helper at home, like Rosey the Robot or Baymax," said 1X CEO Bernt Børnich.

"With Neo Gamma, every engineering and design decision was made with one goal in mind: getting Neo into customers' homes as quickly as possible," he added. "We're close."

Key to Neo Gamma's approachable design is its beige bodysuit, 3D-knitted in one piece to conform to its humanoid, bipedal body and ensure safer, gentler interactions with humans without impeding performance.

The knitted layer also helps to reduce some of the robot's operating noise bringing it down to around the level of a refrigerator, according to 1X.

Similarly, the robot's multi-jointed hands are controlled using an elastic motor that mimics human tendon movement and encased in soft covers.

Following a 2023 investment from OpenAI, the company behind pioneering AI chatbot ChatGPT, 1X also introduced a new in-house large language model (LLM) to enable natural conversation and body language.

Integrated into its humanoid body are four microphones for audio capture and a speaker system that includes one in the chest for AI voice interaction, and two in the pelvis for bass, sound effects and music.

To improve communication, the company also added "emotive ear rings" on the side of Neo Gamma's head that light up much like Amazon's Alexa to show that the robot is talking and listening.

Neo Gamma was trained on human motion capture data and can now walk with a "natural human gait and arm swings", squat and sit in chairs.

Companies from Figure to Boston Dynamics to Tesla are currently developing humanoid robots, although their sights are set primarily on warehouse and factory applications with the view to adapting them for home environments later.

"For humanoid robots to truly integrate into everyday life, they must be developed alongside humans, not in isolation," said Børnich. "The home provides real-world context and the diversity of data needed for humanoids to grow in intelligence and autonomy.

"It also teaches them the nuances of human life – how to open the door for the elderly, move carefully around pets, or adapt to the unpredictability of the surrounding world," he continued. "Robots confined to industrial space or lab development miss out on this critical understanding."

Another company working on "friendly" AI-enabled robots is Kind Humanoid, which was acquired by 1X last month and previously enlisted Yves Behar's design studio Fuseproject to design its robotics system.

Cute robots were also a trend at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), as the tech industry grapples with how to make AI less intimidating.

The post Scandi robot servant Neo Gamma is dressed head-to-toe in beige knitwear appeared first on Dezeen.