Neo robot hands can build LEGOs, unzip jackets, and open a bag of Funyuns — I can't tell if I'm thrilled or terrified

A robot hand that can screw in a lightbulb, pluck individual grapes, and open a bag of Funyuns without flinching when someone swings a hammer at it. That's the new demo from 1X, the company behind the Neo Beta humanoid robot.

What makes these hands remarkable isn't just what they do, but how they do it. Instead of motors crammed inside the fingers, 1X routes the controls up into the arm, connected by tendon-like cables that mimic the actual mechanics of a human hand. The result is something uncannily fluid, with 25 degrees of freedom and enough strength to curl a dumbbell.

The hands are also waterproof and sensitive enough to grip a single screw without crushing it.

The $20,000 Neo robot is already reaching early adopters, and the hands can even retrieve and attach their own magnetic charging puck. So yes, these robots can now put themselves to bed.