Everyone said humanoid robots would conquer our living rooms first, then move to factories. 1X just proved everyone wrong.
The company's Neo humanoid robot – you know, the one marketed as "consumer-ready" for helping around the house – just inked a deal to deploy up to 10,000 units in factories and warehouses between 2026 and 2030. Through EQT's portfolio of 300+ companies, no less.
Wait, what?
The $20,000 Elephant in the Room
Here's what nobody wants to say out loud: humanoid robots in homes are a terrible idea right now. And 1X knows it.
Think about it. The Neo stands 5'6" tall, weighs up to 65kg, and runs for just 4-5 hours per charge. More importantly, it requires remote human operators who can literally see through the robot's cameras inside your home.
Because nothing says "family-friendly" like knowing some operator in a control room is watching you make breakfast through your robot butler's eyes.
<> Multiple VCs and robotics scientists have indicated that humanoid robots for home use will remain a hard sell for years, if not a decade, due to technical and social challenges./>
The industry knows this. 1X knows this. And now they're doing something about it.
When Pivoting Isn't Really Pivoting
Here's my take: this isn't a pivot – it's 1X finally admitting their real plan. The home marketing was always a smokescreen.
Consider the timing:
- Neo launched in October 2025 with massive fanfare
- Pre-orders "far exceeded" goals (though they won't say by how much)
- By December, they're signing industrial deals for 10,000 units
That's not a company scrambling to find new markets. That's a company executing a predetermined strategy.
And honestly? Smart move.
Factories don't care about privacy. Warehouses don't have pets that might trip over a 65kg robot. Manufacturing environments can handle the IP44/IP68 ratings and appreciate the 22 degrees of freedom per hand.
Why This Actually Matters for Developers
If you're building for humanoid robotics, pay attention to 1X's tech stack:
- Redwood AI: Their proprietary vision-language model
- 160 million parameters running at 5Hz on embedded GPU
- Tendon-driven actuation for precise, low-energy movement
- 3D lattice polymer body that's pinch-proof and splash-resistant
This isn't your typical industrial automation. It's consumer-grade safety engineering applied to industrial problems. The soft design, conversational AI, and human-like dexterity could genuinely transform manufacturing workflows.
Think collaborative assembly where humans and robots work side-by-side without safety cages. Think logistics operations where robots can handle delicate items while communicating naturally with human supervisors.
The Real Winner Here
EQT Ventures just pulled off a masterclass in strategic investing. They:
- Funded 1X's development
- Helped them build consumer buzz (and validate the tech)
- Now they're providing guaranteed scale across 300+ portfolio companies
It's venture capital meets private equity meets systems integration. Brilliant.
For the rest of us building in robotics? The lesson is clear: start with the hardest problem first, then work backwards to easier markets. 1X built robots safe enough for homes, then deployed them where safety matters most but adoption barriers are lowest.
That's not failure. That's strategy.
And those 10,000 Neo units in factories? They're going to generate more real-world training data than a decade of consumer deployments ever could. When humanoid robots finally do make it into homes – maybe in 2035 – they'll be infinitely better because of this "pivot."
Sometimes the best way forward is admitting you were selling to the wrong customer all along.
