1X's product head says its new humanoid hand has solved one of the toughest problems in robotics - Business Insider
Subscribe Newsletters You're currently following this topic! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email. The latest news and analysis on robotics, from humanoid AI to real-world automation.
Key takeaways
- The most recent coverage shows a surge of activity across the global humanoid‑robot market.
- In Europe, a Forbes profile released on July 16 2026 details the four‑layer AI architecture powering a leading European humanoid platform, emphasizing a fleet‑wide approach that lets a single robot shift between stocking shelves, feeding machines and reorganizing inventory throughout the day.
- In China, a Bismarck Brief published on July 15 2026 reports that Unitree, the world’s largest shipper of humanoid robots by volume, has sold roughly 10,000 units to date—including 5,500 in 2025 alone—and is preparing a Shanghai IPO valued at about $6 billion, while highlighting the company’s cost‑reduction strategy and its reliance on future AI breakthroughs.
- In the United States, Business Insider’s July 2026 interview with 1X’s product head reveals that the company’s NEO humanoid, priced at $20,000 or $500 per month, now features a novel hand design that uses forearm‑mounted motors and tendon‑like cables to make the fingers lighter, easier to control and safe on impact; 1X has secured 10,000 pre‑orders after a demo showing the robot vacuuming, folding laundry and unloading a dishwasher, and plans to begin shipments in 2026 from facilities capable of producing up to 250,000 units annually.
- Meanwhile, Robot.com announced on July 13 2026 the commercial launch of its R‑noid humanoid, positioned as a “purpose‑built” solution for repetitive, multi‑shift jobs; the robot is offered via a Robot‑as‑a‑Service model that can be deployed on site within eight to twelve weeks and runs on a shared software stack supported by Nvidia Robotics and several AI partners.
Buyer next steps
Compare source-backed options on HumanoidHub
Use HumanoidHub catalog records and buyer guides to verify robot availability, source links, and shortlist fit before contacting manufacturers.
Subscribe Newsletters
You're currently following this topic! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.
The latest news and analysis on robotics, from humanoid AI to real-world automation.
The latest news and analysis on robotics, from humanoid AI to real-world automation.
Meet Isaac 1, the $8,000 home robot that wants to take folding laundry off your to-do list
The humanoid robot boom is here. These top Silicon Valley investors aren't buying it.
Investors ignored manufacturing startups for years. These ex-Apple engineers raised a $33 million fund to change that.
The robots have made it to the World Cup
1X's product head says its new humanoid hand has solved one of the toughest problems in robotics
By Rya Jetha Motors sit in the forearm and pull tendon-like cables to move the fingers, similar to how muscles and tendons move a human hand. 1X said the novel system makes the fingers lighter, easier to control, and able to give way when they hit something.
Sleeper said the company's Hayward facility can produce 10,000 robots a year. 1X has also opened a facility in San Carlos, California, that Sleeper said will eventually produce 100,000 to 250,000 robots a year.
The company said it received 10,000 preorders of NEO within a few days after releasing a 10-minute demo last year showing the humanoid vacuuming, folding laundry, and unloading a dishwasher.
Why 1X focused on robotic hands
1X focused on building a human-like hand because of how much humanoid robots can do with them. A 1X spokesperson said the robot in the video worked with a mix of autonomous operation and remote control "to show the upper limit of the hardware's capabilities."
1X raised $100 million in 2024 and has been backed by OpenAI and Samsung. The NEO robot costs $20,000 upfront or $500 a month.
Sleeper said 1X will soon announce when it will start shipping robots and has identified early customers who will receive NEO in 2026. He declined to say how many robots the company plans to ship this year.
How 1X built its robotic hand
Before the interview, Sleeper gave Business Insider a quick video tour of 1X's manufacturing facility in Hayward, California. In the background, NEO robots stood on the floor, their heads slumped, while robot parts sat arranged on shelves.
Mentioned in this article