4NE-1
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Last reviewed
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This article is a detailed summary. For an even fuller treatment, see also NEURA Robotics 4NE-1.
| 4NE-1 | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | NEURA Robotics |
| Type | Humanoid robot |
| Country of origin | Germany (Metzingen, Baden-Wurttemberg) |
| Founder/CEO | David Reger |
| First unveiled | 2022 (concept); July 2024 (prototype) |
| Latest generation | Gen 3.5, June 2025 at Automatica Munich |
| Height / Weight | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) / 80 kg (176 lb) |
| Payload | 15 kg standard; up to 100 kg joint lift |
| Max speed | Up to 5 km/h (3.1 mph) |
| Degrees of freedom | 25+ body; 12 per hand (optional) |
| Battery | Dual hot-swappable lithium-ion, 2.5 kWh |
| Compute | NVIDIA Jetson Thor T5000, water-cooled |
| Sensors | 7 cameras (360 degree), LiDAR, Omnisensor, artificial skin, force-torque |
| Industrial design | Studio F.A. Porsche (Gen 3.5) |
| Price | EUR 98,000 (1-19 units); EUR 60,000 fleet; Mini at EUR 19,999 |
| Status | Preorders open at CES 2026; deliveries late 2026 |
| Website | neura-robotics.com |
The 4NE-1 (pronounced "for anyone," sometimes styled 4NE1 or "FoUR iN ONE") is a cognitive robotics humanoid robot developed by the German company NEURA Robotics, headquartered in Metzingen, Baden-Wurttemberg, near Stuttgart. The robot is designed for autonomous collaboration with humans in industrial and domestic environments, operating without protective cages. Its name reflects NEURA's stated goal of making advanced robotics accessible to everyone, from factories to homes and care facilities.[1][2]
The 4NE-1 is positioned by its maker as the first general-purpose humanoid built around cognitive perception, with on-board safety sensing that allows it to share space directly with people. After a concept reveal in 2022, a working prototype in July 2024, and a third-generation production model at Automatica 2025, NEURA opened preorders at CES 2026 in Las Vegas, with first customer deliveries planned for late 2026.[3][4]
For a fuller treatment, see the companion article: NEURA Robotics 4NE-1.
NEURA Robotics was founded on 26 March 2019 by David Reger, who had previously built three robotics companies before returning to Europe in 2013. Reger is credited with coining "cognitive robotics," referring to machines that combine artificial intelligence, sensor fusion, and actuation to perceive, decide, and learn in real environments. He was named "Innovator of the Year" at the German Innovation Award 2025.[1][2]
Before the 4NE-1, NEURA built collaborative robots (LARA), mobile manipulators (MAiRA, MiPA), and autonomous mobile platforms (MAV). The 4NE-1 is the company's flagship humanoid and the centerpiece of its push into general-purpose embodied AI. By the time Gen 3 was unveiled, NEURA reported about 600 to 700 employees, an order book of roughly EUR 1 billion, and a 2030 production goal of 5 million robots across industrial, service, and household segments.[5][6]
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2022 | First concept of 4NE-1 publicly described by NEURA Robotics |
| April 2024 | Partnership with Omron Robotics for cognitive factory automation |
| July 2024 | Functional prototype demonstrated; sorting, ironing, vegetable chopping, package handling |
| January 2025 | EUR 120 million Series B closed, led by Lingotto Investment Management |
| June 2025 | Gen 3 unveiled at Automatica trade fair, Munich |
| January 2026 | Bosch strategic partnership announced; preorders open at CES 2026 |
| March 2026 | Tether-led EUR 1 billion Series C; valuation reported at EUR 4 billion |
| Late 2026 | First customer deliveries of 4NE-1 Gen 3.5 planned |
The July 2024 demonstration drew attention because it showed the robot performing household chores, not only warehouse tasks. The Gen 3 model at Automatica 2025 added a redesigned chassis, the production-grade Omnisensor, and a fleet learning platform called Neuraverse, which NEURA describes as an operating system and skill marketplace for cognitive robots.[5][7]
The Gen 3.5 model stands 180 cm tall and weighs 80 kg, slightly heavier than competitors such as Figure 02 or Tesla Optimus. It uses dual hot-swappable lithium-ion batteries totaling about 2.5 kWh, which NEURA cites as enabling continuous 24/7 operation. Reported active life is around 6 to 8 hours of industrial work per pack.[3][8]
NEURA reports a 100 kg maximum joint lift capacity, with a recommended payload of about 15 kg for sustained tasks. At its announcement, the 100 kg figure was described as the highest among general-purpose humanoids. Movement is bipedal, with a maximum walking speed of 5 km/h (3.1 mph).[3][8]
Compute lives on a water-cooled NVIDIA Jetson Thor T5000 module, picked for higher tensor throughput and a lower energy footprint. The water-cooling loop lets the robot run vision and policy networks on board without thermal throttling. Gen 3.5's industrial design was developed with Studio F.A. Porsche, the consumer-product arm of the Porsche brand, in a neutral palette intended to read as approachable in shared human spaces.[3][8]
Safety in a fenceless setting is the part of the design NEURA leans on the most.
| Sensor | Function |
|---|---|
| 7 cameras | 360 degree vision: object, gesture, and environment recognition |
| LiDAR | Volumetric mapping, navigation, and obstacle avoidance |
| NEURA Omnisensor (patented) | Touchless human detection, distinguishes people from objects even when partially obstructed |
| Artificial skin (patented) | Detects proximity before contact, supporting pre-touch collision avoidance |
| Force-torque sensors | 0.1 N sensitivity across joints, for fine manipulation and impact detection |
| Microphones | Voice command and dialog with on-device speech models |
The Omnisensor lets the robot adapt its behavior when a person enters its workspace, rather than relying only on external safety scanners. The skin adds a redundant channel that triggers before contact, which matters when handing items to a person.[9]
The 4NE-1 ships with anthropomorphic grippers in the base configuration and offers a dexterous hand option with 12 degrees of freedom per hand. Total degrees of freedom are reported as about 25 in the body and as high as 55 with the dexterous hands counted, though sources differ depending on configuration. Forearms are quick-change modules, so one robot can swap between a power gripper and a fine-manipulation hand.[8]
Alongside the full-sized model, NEURA introduced the 4NE-1 Mini at CES 2026. It stands 132 cm (4 ft 4 in) tall and weighs 36 kg (79 lb), with about 25 degrees of freedom, a 3 kg payload, and roughly 2.5 hours of active battery life. The Mini shares the same cognitive AI architecture as its larger sibling but targets research, education, and light office tasks rather than industrial duty. It is priced at EUR 19,999, with first shipments planned for spring 2026.[10]
NEURA pitches the Mini as a Western-built humanoid in roughly the same price band as imported Chinese research platforms such as the Unitree G1, with full access to the Neuraverse skill ecosystem and the same refundable preorder model.[10]
The 4NE-1 runs NEURA's NEURON OS, a robotics operating system with open APIs that serves as the foundation for a wider ecosystem called the Neuraverse. The Neuraverse is a skill marketplace: developers and integrators can publish robot "skills" such as welding, sorting, dish unloading, and palletizing, and any 4NE-1 on the network can install and run them. Robots in a fleet also share what they learn, so improvements on one unit propagate to the rest.[5][7]
NEURA trains and validates 4NE-1 policies in simulation using NVIDIA Isaac Sim and Isaac Lab. The on-robot stack uses NVIDIA's GR00T foundation model family for general-purpose cognition, and NEURA has confirmed work with SAP on linking robot actions to enterprise systems through digital twins. The combined design is a humanoid that boots with a base set of cognitive skills, then specializes by downloading task modules at the customer site.[7]
To move from prototypes to volume, NEURA developed a manufacturing approach it calls the NEURA Hive. The Hive arranges several industrial robots in a circular cell where they assemble 4NE-1 components in a tight footprint, automating most of the build so production scales like consumer electronics rather than craft assembly.[5]
The January 2026 Bosch partnership is closely tied to that ramp. Under the agreement, Bosch and NEURA jointly collect real-world work, movement, and environmental data inside Bosch facilities using sensor suits, then co-develop the AI software, interfaces, and selected hardware. Bosch may also supply motors and assist with final assembly. Both companies state the goal as industrializing a German-built humanoid at scale.[11][12]
NEURA published an unusually transparent price list for a humanoid robot at the CES 2026 launch.
| Variant | Configuration | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4NE-1 Gen 3.5 | 1 to 19 units | EUR 98,000 | Refundable EUR 100 deposit to preorder |
| 4NE-1 Gen 3.5 | Fleet (20+ units) | EUR 60,000 | Per-unit rate at volume |
| 4NE-1 Mini | Single unit | EUR 19,999 | Research and education target |
Gen 3.5 deliveries are planned for late 2026, with some reporting pointing to as early as June 2026 for the first units; the Mini is scheduled for spring 2026. Preorders are taken through the NEURA Robotics product page.[4][8][10]
NEURA's commercial position rests on a fast funding ramp.
| Round | Date | Amount | Lead investor(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series A | July 2023 | USD 55 million | Lingotto Investment Management |
| Series B | January 2025 | EUR 120 million (about USD 123 million) | Lingotto Investment Management |
| Series C | March 2026 | EUR 1 billion (about USD 1.2 billion) | Tether |
The Series B was led by Lingotto with participation from BlueCrest Capital Management, Volvo Cars Tech Fund, InterAlpen Partners, Vsquared Ventures, HV Capital, Delta Electronics, C4 Ventures, L-Bank, and founder David Reger. The Series C, led by stablecoin issuer Tether, valued NEURA at about EUR 4 billion (USD 4.65 billion); Bloomberg noted the round priced below an earlier expected EUR 8 to 10 billion target.[2][13][14]
Disclosed partners and customers include Kawasaki Robotics, Omron Robotics, Delta Electronics, NVIDIA, SAP, Vodafone, Schaeffler, and Bosch. Several are white-label manufacturing relationships, where NEURA's technology is sold under partner brands. NEURA also acquired ek robotics, a 300-person industrial automation specialist, as part of its industrial buildout.[5][6][14]
4NE-1 competes with a small group of high-profile humanoid programs. Head-to-head numbers are hard to fix because makers publish selectively, but the rough picture is:
| Robot | Maker | Height | Weight | Payload | Status (2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4NE-1 Gen 3.5 | NEURA Robotics | 180 cm | 80 kg | 15 kg (100 kg joint lift) | Preorders open; deliveries late 2026 |
| Figure 02 | Figure | about 168 cm | about 70 kg | about 20 kg | Pilots with BMW reported |
| Tesla Optimus | Tesla | about 173 cm | about 57 kg | about 20 kg | Internal pilots |
| Apollo | Apptronik | about 173 cm | about 73 kg | about 25 kg | Deployed at Mercedes-Benz |
| Neo | 1X Technologies | about 165 cm | about 30 kg | light object handling | Home pilots announced |
The 4NE-1 sits on the heavier, more industrial end of the field: tallest of the group, highest reported joint lift, and one of the few with published list prices. Figure 02 and Apollo have a head start on visible factory deployments. Optimus has the largest brand reach but the least independent verification. 1X Neo is the outlier, aimed primarily at home use.[15][16][17]
NEURA's distinguishing features are the fenceless safety stack (Omnisensor plus artificial skin), the Porsche-designed chassis, the Neuraverse skill ecosystem, and a published list price.
The 4NE-1 is targeted at use cases that overlap industrial automation and service robotics.
NEURA says the same robot is meant to move between these contexts by reinstalling skills from the Neuraverse rather than buying a different machine for each environment.[3][5]
Coverage of the 4NE-1 has focused on the speed of NEURA's funding ramp, its unusually concrete pricing, and the fact that the robot is built in Germany rather than Silicon Valley or China. Bloomberg covered the Tether-led Series C and the EUR 4 billion valuation; The Robot Report and Sifted tracked the Series B; RoboHorizon and Robotics 24/7 covered the CES 2026 preorder and the Porsche design partnership. Analysts have flagged a gap between NEURA's 2030 target of 5 million robots and its near-term capacity, while others point to disclosed orders of about EUR 1 billion as stronger committed demand than several US-based competitors at similar stages.[6][13][14]