Robot Chef NEO Challenges Culinary Prodigy with Medium-Rare Steak Duel

In August, OpenAI-backed 1X Technologies introduced a humanoid robot prototype, NEO Beta, tailored for home use. Recently, NEO showcased its capabilities in a new setting—the kitchen—by engaging in a cook-off against renowned chef Nick DiGiovanni. The challenge: crafting a perfectly cooked medium-rare steak. Nick, with a YouTube following of 21.2 million, is known for his culinary prowess, having been the youngest finalist in MasterChef history.

During the video demonstration, NEO operated the gas stove, added olive oil, and adeptly handled a steak with a spatula, occasionally interspersed with playful banter. Despite an olive oil mishap, NEO's performance was notably smooth for a first attempt, as confirmed by the 1X team who humorously admitted they expected the robot to ruin at least one steak.

While the demonstration proved successful, it was not entirely autonomous. The entire cooking process was remotely guided by the 1X team to assist NEO in learning and executing the task accurately. The team clarified that human assistance was still necessary for tasks like chopping vegetables, noting that the main challenge for a fully autonomous steak-cooking robot lies in data input precision.

Interactions between NEO and Nick were pre-scripted, prioritizing control over real-time conversation capabilities offered by GPT-4-powered voice integration. Despite this, NEO showed promise in managing complex tasks, sparking curiosity about when such robots might become a fixture in ordinary kitchens.

1X Technologies has announced plans to refine NEO's safety skills before releasing its cooking capabilities to the initial group of users to ensure safe handling of sharp or hot objects. The robot boasts a height of 5 feet 5 inches and a weight of 30 kilograms, coupled with an impressive carrying capacity. Despite its advanced design, runtime remains limited to two to four hours due to its lightweight build.

With a bionic structure and softer components, NEO eschews traditional rigid actuators, allowing it to perform tasks quietly and flexibly. Its design, resembling human muscle structure and utilizing a non-conventional hydraulic system, strikes a balance between strength and flexibility.

1X envisions NEO taking on a broad range of tasks beyond domestic environments, excelling in industrial settings for safety, logistics, manufacturing, and machine operation. The long-term goal is for NEO to handle mundane household chores, tailored to user preferences.

NEO currently performs simple household tasks such as item delivery, coffee making, and tidying. 1X plans to place NEO in selected homes, gathering crucial data for further development, with mass production targeted at their factory in Norway following testing in varied settings.