Neo1: the giant humanoid robot for dangerous jobs
It stands 4 meters tall, weighs 1.2 tonnes and was designed for ports, mines and nuclear plants.
About four meters tall, weighing 1.2 tonnes and promising to lift half a tonne: meet Neo1, a Chinese humanoid designed for the jobs no one wants to do.
Chinese company NeodraDynamics presented Neo1 at industrial fairs in Beijing and Shanghai, including CIIF, alongside JD Industrial. It is a hybrid hydraulic-electric robot with 41 joints: 39 hydraulic and two electric.
The company says it can carry 500 kilos with both arms and targets heavy assembly, mining, rescue, nuclear facilities, ports and underwater work, tasks that are dangerous or exhausting for people. Hydraulic power allows large loads to be moved with compact parts.
For now, however, it is a prototype. According to New Atlas, in the demonstrations it was controlled by a fixed program, powered by cable, and its walking control was unfinished: the company says walking is not a priority for industrial use. There are no independent tests of its capabilities nor data on autonomy, mobility or production. The robot arrives amid a humanoid boom in China.
Competition is intense: according to Omdia, AgiBot sold 5,168 humanoids in 2025, and Unitree about 4,200.
Key facts
- 41 joints, 39 of them hydraulic.
- Claimed payload: 500 kg with both arms.
- About 4 meters tall and 1.2 tonnes.
- According to Omdia, China accounted for nearly 90% of global humanoid sales in 2025.
Independent tests and real deployments are needed before knowing whether it delivers on its promises.
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