The consumer-focused humanoid robot Neo will be used in industrial tasks by going to factories and warehouses in the thousands starting from 2026, thanks to the agreement between 1X and EQT.
Neo, introduced in recent months by Norway-based 1X Technologies and positioned as a home-focused, consumer-centric humanoid robot, appears to be preparing for a journey into industry. Within the scope of a strategic collaboration with the Swedish wealthy investment group EQT, up to 10,000 Neo robots will be shipped to EQT’s hundreds of portfolio companies worldwide between 2026 and 2030. The agreement focuses specifically on manufacturing, warehousing, logistics, and other industrial operations.
Will Start Work in Industry
1X will sign individual contracts with EQT’s interested portfolio companies for each robot delivery. This reveals that the agreement is not a bulk sale made in a single item, but a business model that will spread gradually over a wide corporate ecosystem.
The most striking aspect of this collaboration is that Neo has been a product positioned entirely for home use until now. When introducing the robot, the company defined it as the first consumer-ready humanoid robot developed to transform home life. Opened for pre-order in October with a $20,000 price tag, Neo was announced with capabilities to perform various tasks ranging from cleaning to simple household chores. Although 1X has the Eve model, which it developed separately to serve in industrial fields, the EQT agreement directly covers the use of Neo.
Behind this strategic shift lie both market realities and consumer expectations. It has long been stated that the widespread use of home-type humanoid robots will take time. Experts state that price barriers and security concerns pose serious obstacles. The fact that human operators can see the home environment through the robot’s eyes in Neo’s remote control mode is a serious privacy issue. Despite this, although the company announced that the number of pre-orders “exceeded expectations,” it does not share a clear figure.
On the industrial use side, the picture is different. For companies, humanoid robots stand out as a solution that can close the labor shortage, reduce costs, and increase efficiency in repetitive tasks. Therefore, directing Neo to industry could turn the industry into a faster scalable business form.
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