TECHNOLOGY · VERIFIED DEVELOPMENT
LG Launches Wheel‑Based Robot Housekeeper, Signals Shift Toward Practical Home Robotics
WHY IT MATTERS
Training hundreds of CLOiDs will create a foundation model that could lower development costs and speed the rollout of affordable, autonomous housekeepers, potentially reshaping domestic labor markets.
What happened
LG has unveiled its CLOiD, a wheeled robot housekeeper that moves on wheels rather than legs. The company announced plans to train hundreds of CLOiDs in real home environments to develop a robot foundation model. The move comes amid a surge of humanoid robots showcased at CES, where several home‑oriented bots appeared, and at Berlin’s IFA, where about half a dozen Chinese humanoids demonstrated their capabilities.
Meanwhile, U. S.
firm 1X has already deployed its $20,000 Neo robot in households, relying on remote assistance for tasks. LG’s focus on a wheeled platform and large‑scale training marks a concrete step toward bringing autonomous home robots into everyday life.
PRIMARY SOURCES
The robot butler dream doesn’t have legs
The Verge · Jennifer Pattison Tuohy · Discovery only; Vox Media copyright terms apply