The 1X Neo Robot Has Freaky Fast Fingers

A robot that can wash its own hands, unzip your jacket, and flash you a peace sign might sound like science fiction. But 1X, a Norwegian-American robotics company, says that's exactly what its humanoid robot Neo can do.

Neo's five-fingered hands have 25 degrees of freedom, just shy of a human hand's 27, and can grip odd shapes, detect slipping objects, and move so fast the fingers blur. Jonathan Terfurth, 1X's director of actuators and hands, says the goal is a robot that can "live in the world" alongside people who've never interacted with one before.

Unlike the hulking industrial robots dominating the market, Neo is soft, safe, and inspired by Baymax from Big Hero 6. It's available for $20,000 or $500 a month.

There's a catch, though. Neo is still partly human-operated, meaning a remote "expert" can see inside your home, raising real questions about privacy that 1X hasn't fully answered.