It's rare that a robot video fills me with sadness, but this new one from 1X featuring the company's new Neo Gama humanoid robot left me in a state of ennui.
Neo Gamma is an update to the Neo Beta 1X introduced six months ago. At the time, the company claimed its black and gray humanoid robot was undergoing home trials. In the video, it showed the bot briefly interacting with (even hugging) a human companion. It left me and other roboticists I talked to skeptical. Home humanoid robots are generally thought to be a decade out, but 1X appeared to be trying to close that gap significantly.
Recently, the company unveiled Neo Gamma, a robot with numerous aesthetic and technical improvements. There are new "emotive" LED ear rings that the company thinks will help improve communication. I assume this is because the rings light up when you're talking to the robot, which features microphones and speakers.
They've redone the body cover and almost made it a more attractive beige, making it softer and safer for the home.
Movement's gotten an upgrade, too. Neo Gamma's arms can now swing, and its walk is smoother than that of the Beta model. Additionally, the robot can now sit down in a chair.
As with Neo Beta, Neo Gamma integrates AI. For instance, the updated visual manipulation model will make it possible for Gamma to handle objects it's never seen before. Overall, 1X claims on its website, "NEO Gamma’s design opens the door to start internal home testing—a first step in creating fully autonomous humanoids."
To illustrate this point, 1X released this launch video, which shows Neo Gamma operating in a typical home. It cleans, makes and serves coffee, pours wine, and collects the groceries from its owner. Neo Gamma even cleans windows.
But it's a lonely existence. Most of the time, the couple in the video ignores Neo Gamma, even as it's serving and working around them. When it serves coffee, they barely look up. As it vacuums the rug, it doesn't even get a glance. There is one touching moment where Neo Gamma helps hang a picture and even gets a thumbs up, but that is the extent of real human engagement. At the end of the video, the couple is enjoying a meal in the dining room, one that I bet Neo Gamma prepared and served, and the robot is in the other room alone. It takes a seat on the couch and stares into space.
Is this the "life" we anticipate for our humanoid companions – with us, but separate? Even though I assume these robots will have no feelings, I'm sure others and I will anthropomorphize them and start to thank them, chat, and engage in a more human way. I guess I wonder if 1X could have shown me a bit more natural human-to-robot interaction.
1X hasn't set a price or delivery date for Neo Gamma, but you can join the wait list to become the robot's mas...er...beloved owner.
In the meantime, I think I need to cheer up and go watch a fun cat video.
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