DOCUMENTARY LINK: https://lnkd.in/eBzqNEi8
Last month I was lucky enough to be part of the small team that put 1X’s NEO in Jason Carman’s apartment in San Francisco. I can’t convey in words how much of a both surreal and profound experience this was to witness firsthand…
When building robots we typically test them in a lab or office/warehouse which is a very spacious, clinical, sterile environment.
In contrast, Jason’s apartment was an old Victorian-style home that felt warm, intimate, and most importantly, lived-in. It was a space entirely relatable to our own homes, complete with all the idiosyncrasies and personal objects of every day life.
Seeing NEO operating here just completely blew my mind; illustrating what humanoid robots as a consumer product would actually look like, and how close this is to being a reality.
Regarding my own technical perspective, it was incredibly validating to see NEO completing tasks that would have been impossible for our previous generation robot EVE, just by virtue of having hands instead of pinch grippers. I have long had the intuition that this is the case, but it is only when you are confronted with the complexity of a domestic environment that you can move from the abstract, to concrete examples of why dexterity matters.
As Jason says in the video, we were all struck by the profundity of the moment, witnessing sci-fi brought to life for the first time. This was as far as we all know, a world first, and a glimpse into our collective future. I am honoured to have been one of the few people to witness this moment, firsthand.
Shoutout to Jason for letting us turn his apartment into a combination of a film set and a mechanic’s workshop! 🫡
And to my incredibly hard working team mates Michael Purcell, Dar Sleeper, Turing Zelsnack, Ralf Mayet and Ømer-Faruk Cetin
I will remember that weekend forever.
