Scandi firm unveils robot servant dressed in Kim Kardashian-style shapewear
A Dyson-wielding robot squeezed into beige shapewear, reminiscent of Kim Kardashian’s Skims, may be the future of Scandinavian living.
Developed by Norwegian robotics company 1X Technologies, the home-bot, called NEO, is the latest upgrade of its Gamma series, described as the “next generation of home humanoids.”
Dressed in beige knitwear, the robot attempts to align with minimalist Nordic sensibilities. According to its creators, the machine’s design aims to “complement living spaces rather than disrupt them.”
That apparently means slipping it into beige knitwear similar to bodysuits sold by Skims, a multi-billion dollar brand co-founded by super-influencer Kim Kardashian, known for its neutral-tone aesthetic.
According to 1X, the robot’s look has a “minimalist design aesthetic that fits into the home.” However, the soft cover of a bodysuit also serves a practical purpose – it reduces noise caused by its machinery and “increases overall safety.”
Other upgrades include a multipurpose whole-body controller that the company says allows NEO to walk with a natural human gait, squat down to pick things from the ground, and sit in chairs.
It also operates on a new in-house artificial intelligence model and is capable of recognizing various objects in different scenarios, including “environments not seen during training.”
The company’s ultimate goal is to produce fully autonomous humanoid robots, which it hopes to achieve by testing its machines in a home environment.
According to Bernt Børnich, chief executive at 1X, there is a “not-so-distant future where we all have our robot helper at home, like Rosey the Robot or Baymax.”
“But for humanoid robots to truly integrate into everyday life, they must be developed alongside humans, not in isolation,” he says, adding that “the home provides real-world context and the diversity of data.”
It also teaches them “the nuances of human life,” such as opening doors for the elderly or moving carefully around pets. “Robots confined to industrial space or lab development miss out on this critical understanding,” Børnich says.
The robot is a functioning prototype and is still some way off from mass production or deployment.
