- 1X's NEO hand features 25 degrees of freedom, tendon-driven actuation, and force transparency, enabling advanced manipulation like assembling LEGO, playing video games, and zipping jackets.
- The hand's design avoids 'write-only' issues through low gear ratios (5:1 to 15:1), allowing it to sense touch and force, with tactile sensors that detect slip and shear for precise control.
- 1X uses teleoperation for some demos, with plans for Scheduled Expert Mode, but this model could incur high labor costs, estimated at over $100 million annually for 10,000 units.
- Priced at $20,000 or $499/month, NEO likely sells at a loss per unit, with potential hardware losses in hundreds of millions, despite raising $137 million, far less than competitors like Figure AI ($1 billion+).
- 1X bets on vertical integration, manufacturing components in-house to reduce costs and improve capabilities, but faces challenges in reliability verification, software development, and funding constraints.
- The hand is a breakthrough in robotics, setting a new standard for humanoid robots, but 1X's business viability depends on scaling production, managing costs, and advancing AI to match the hardware.