Friendly home robots have long been the stuff of sci-fi dreams. Now, 1X, a Norwegian-American robotics company, has unveiled its soft, helpful robot companion, Neo. The five-fingered hands are built with advanced actuators and can move 25 degrees of freedom, almost as dexterous as human hands. Cameras and AI help Neo grip odd shapes and detect when things slip.

The fingers can also move extremely quickly, hyperextending in ways that human digits cannot. They even have an IP68 waterproof rating, allowing Neo to wash its own hands. The range of motion is designed to be close to what a human can do, enabling it to open doors and lift heavy objects. This could make Neo invaluable for managing daily tasks.

But the marketing campaign for the Neo feels very sensual, with smooth jazz playing in videos where robo-fingers curl around wine glasses or unzip jackets. The company claims that human 'experts' can only enter your home when you've specifically requested it, but the technology isn't fully automated yet, and some of the more impressive movements might still be teleoperated.

While 1X aims for full automation in the future, the current setup could raise privacy concerns. The company says human faces can be blurred, and you can monitor video captures via a mobile app, but it hasn't addressed how to prevent bad actors or hackers from accessing the robot.