£15k humanoid robot cleaner Neo sparks privacy fears with ‘expert mode’ feature

1X Technologies’ £15k robot cleaner Neo can tidy your home—but its human-supervised mode has people uneasy

Tech company 1X Technologies has unveiled a new humanoid housekeeping robot named Neo, priced at a staggering £15,000—and it’s already causing a stir online for one unsettling reason.

The Norwegian-American robotics and AI firm describes Neo as a soft-bodied, 5’6 robot designed to handle domestic chores. It features a detachable head, knit suit, and camera “eyes” in place of a face, adding to its eerie, futuristic design. Controlled through a custom app, Neo can reportedly clean a home for up to four hours on a single charge.

In the robot’s launch video, Dar Sleeper, vice president of product and design at 1X Technologies, explained, “You give your Neo a list of chores, schedule a time you want them done, and focus on what matters while Neo does the rest.”

But what’s drawing attention—and concern—is Neo’s “expert mode.” If the robot encounters a task it doesn’t know how to do, users can allow an external expert from 1X Technologies to remotely supervise and control Neo to complete it. Critics say this feature raises major privacy concerns, as it potentially gives outsiders a virtual window into private homes.

Since the launch trailer dropped, social media has exploded with mixed reactions. Some users are excited by the innovation, while others call it “creepy” and warn against letting a robot—and remote humans—roam their house.

Idk about yall but I’m a lil scared of that NEO home robot pic.twitter.com/XnbtrbrNqP

— ELLIO (@Chaoyangsaur) October 28, 2025

I want the NEO robot so that this can be my view every morning 👁️ 👁️ pic.twitter.com/gTVJWxowGC

— sf girly (@non__technical) October 28, 2025

would you have this robot walking around your house? pic.twitter.com/ppHZPcDJbO

— Charles 👑 (@charleskoh) October 28, 2025

Neo is currently available to preorder with a £150 deposit, ahead of its official 2026 release. Whether it becomes a household revolution or a privacy nightmare remains to be seen.