Oh, patents! The SoftFoot Pro, a motorless robotic foot.

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Designed at the Italian Institute of Technology (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia), the fully passive (motorless), anthropomorphic and flexible SoftFoot Pro was invented to improve the state of the art in prosthetic feet, preferably fitted to a human limb, but also compatible with a humanoid robot. Specifically, the Softfoot Pro was designed to remedy the incidence of falls among lower limb prosthetic users (LLPUs), 50% of whom experience falls at least once a year, resulting in additional injury (Pace, A., Dimitrov, H., Jakubowitz, E. et al. (2026). 

Indeed, according to the inventors, the prior art of prosthetic feet is generally too rigid and/or heavy to readily negotiate uneven or rugged terrain. In turn, stepping on obstacles risks destabilizing and altering the LLPUs’ gait, invoking a fall or long-term sequela such as osteoarthritis. Surface obstacles also place an extra burden on the cognition of LLPUs in the effort to alter their stride, and the extra attention required to successfully negotiate uneven-surface hurdles. Thus, the SoftFoot Pro was created to conform to uneven surfaces, even slippery ones. Ultimately, the SoftFoot Pro was designed to respond to any surface, while creating a comfortable and easy stride for LLPUs, and minimizing cognitive stress. Because of its designed anthropomorphic flexibility, emulating the tarsus, metatarsus, and phalanges skeletal anatomy, as well as the plantar fascia, the SoftFoot Pro also facilitates the performance of everyday tasks, such as bending on one knee to tie a shoelace.

The SoftFoot Pro invention is recited in the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO) patent WO2026003774A1, titled Robotic foot. The patent was awarded on February 1st, 2026, to seven inventors: Antonio Bicchi, Manuel Giuseppe Catalano, Giorgio Grioli, Manel  Barbarossa, Emanuele Sessa, Anna Pace and Matteo Crotti. The joint applicants were Fondazione Istituto Italiano Di Tecnologia, in Genoa, Italy, and the Università Di Pisa, in Italy. 

Below, the patent Figure 1 depicting a perspective view of the SoftFoot Pro (1), together with the Abstract of the invention, indexing the drawing. In a nutshell, the patent Figure 1 depicts the titanium mobile arch system (4) of the foot (1), with a hinge (6), defining a rotational axis, and connected to a joint (2), receiving the fitted human limb or humanoid device. The arch system (4) is connected to five parallel plastic chains, forming a surface contact organ (3). Each of the parallel plastic chains is made of high-strength automotive plastic modules, each connected via an inextensible transversal cable, attached at the heel (5) of the foot (1). The plastic chains have two rotational axes (3a) and (3b), with pairs of plastic links between each module. The inextensible cable system is meant to emulate the biomechanical windlass phenomenon, which stiffens the fascia to stabilize the arch by evenly distributing forces to the ground, whereas the plastic links provide flexibility to the modules, also functioning as shock absorbers. 

A foot (1) is configured to rest on a walkable surface (1b) and comprising: a joint (2) to a prosthesis (1a); a contact organ (3) defining a deformable contact area of the foot (1) with the walkable surface (1b); a first body (4) defining the frontal arch of the foot (1), a first end (4a) proximal to the joint (2) and an additional first end (4b); a second body (5) defining the heel of the foot (1), a second extremity (5a) proximal to the joint (2) and an additional second extremity (5b) distal to the attachment (2); an ankle hinge (6) defining a main axis (6a) of mutual rotation between the first body (4), second body (5) and joint (2) and interposed between both first extremities (4a, 4b) and second extremities (5a, 5b). The foot also involves the contact organ (3) connecting the additional ends (4b, 5b); and also first elastic means (7) and second elastic means (8) connecting the first end (4a) and second end (5a) to the joint (2), respectively.

[Abstract WO2026003774A1]

Below, the close-up image of a marketed SoftFoot embodiment, together with an Italian Institute of Technology (ITT) Youtube video. 

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References

Italian Institute of Technology (IIT)
https://www.iit.it/
IIT (07-11-2024). Introducing SoftFoot Pro: a cutting-edge motorless, flexible and waterproof artificial foot. Italian Institute of Technology.
https://opentalk.iit.it/en/introducing-softfoot-pro-a-cutting-edge-motorless-flexible-and-waterproof-artificial-foot/
Pace, A., Dimitrov, H., Jakubowitz, E. et al. (2026). The SoftFoot Pro: an anthropomorphic and adaptive soft articulated prosthetic foot. Nature Communications 17, 1459 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-68194-2
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-68194-2

Oh, patents! Neo, the human-safe 1X housekeeper robot (3)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Neo is a mechanically human-safe robot. This means that a patented solution has been invented to make Neo capable of interacting safely with humans in an uncontrolled residential environment. Indeed, most robots operating in factories perform repetitive tasks in highly controlled environments (e.g., lifting heavy objects from one conveyor belt to another). These are programmed tasks where it would be dangerous for humans to inadvertently come between the robot’s task and its movement path. This would be dangerous because industrial robots are unequipped with means to react to the unexpected presence of a human. The high-gear-ratio motors driving industrial robotic movement would require a combination of dozens of sensors, each with complex control algorithms, which would be far too costly to enable the robots to safely interact with humans. Thus, in an industrial setting, a human could not push a robotic arm driven by a high-gear-ratio [1:200] motor, because even the smallest movement would create huge resistance from the motor, termed back-drivability, which is essentially impossible. According to patent specification: the insensitivity of a driving motor system scales with the square of the gear ratio.

The human-safe patented solution invented for Neo, the 1X housekeeper robot, is a cable-driven, very high-torque, direct-drive [1:1 gear ratio] motor with a Halbach magnetic array structure. This patented design lightens the weight of the motor, making limb movement far more accurate, and far better adapted to humanoid-sized robotic limb movement. Most importantly, the patented low-gear-ratio design enables humans to interact with the robot. In other words, a human can apply force and influence the movement of a robot’s limbs, without creating resistance, thus preventing the robot from harming a human. Additionally, direct human interaction with the robot’s motorized limbs reduces the need for costly sensors and their associated algorithms, to control the robot's limb movement.

The human-safe motor design invention embodied in Neo, the 1X household robot, is recited in  a family of four patents, including the US utility patent application US20200083763, titled Human-like direct drive robot. The inventors on record are Phuong Nguyen and Bernt Ølivind Børnich, founder and CEO of 1X*, the company that produces and markets NEO, in Hayward, California. The patent application was published March 12th, 2020, and abandoned. 

Below, the extracted patent Figure 6, together with the Abstract of the invention. The patent Figure 6 depicts a human-like robot 400, and more specifically, the robot’s torso 410. The robot's torso 410 further indexes two upper limbs 404, elbow joints 408, and one of the llmb portions 406, comprising a hollow sleeve that houses an (undepicted) ball bearing system for the cable system that drives the transmission of motor torque to the limbs.

An image of Neo’s fingers, stripped of their 3D polymer “skin” and knitted cover, is also included below the abstract.    

The present disclosure relates to a motor, in particular a compact, lightweight, and high-torque motor. The rotor comprises a Halbach array magnet structure in which the projected magnetic field is directed toward the rotation axis of the motor and the stator comprises a plurality of poles within the Halbach array. The individual magnets making up the Halbach array have a thickness in the radial direction, with respect to the rotation axis, which is determined to be the minimum thickness required to stop demagnetization of the magnets when the maximum current to generate peak torque output of the motor is driven through the stator at the maximum expected temperature at which the motor will be used. 

(Abstract US20200083763A1)

Note

* Former Halodi Robotics  AS, in Norway.

Reference

1X (Company website)

https://www.1x.tech/

Oh, patents! Neo, the pinch-proof 1X housekeeper robot (2)

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Neo, the robot, weighs about 66 pounds and measures 5.6 feet. Neo is whisper-quiet at about 22 decibels, which is quieter than a refrigerator. The robot runs on a battery for about four hours, and then recharges in about 20 minutes. Neo is completely wrapped in a 3D-printed polymer "skin", and a washable knitted suit, which makes Neo completely pinch-proof. This means that no one can get their fingers or hair stuck in the robots moving mechanical parts. Neo also wears customizable shoes. The video below shows Neo from the inside out. 

Reference
1X (Company website)
https://www.1x.tech/

Oh, patents! Neo the 1X housekeeper robot (1)

Copyright © Françoise Herrnann

The Norwegian start-up, 1X, backed by Open AI, released its first bipedal, humanoid housekeeper robot, on April 30th, 2026. The robot’s name is Neo.

As an interactive, residential home assistant, Neo is intended to automate household tasks. Tasks programmed for Neo to autonomously execute, such as cleaning, fetching (eg., a glass of water), loading and unloading the dishwasher, answering the front door, vacuuming, taking out the trash, unloading packages from a car trunk, cracking walnuts, plus more. Indeed, almost any task you can think of, since Noe learns by watching. 

For Neo to learn the new complex tasks, you might schedule a 1X Expert Mode Session, where a remote company technician walks Neo through all the new tasks—in Virtual Reality, using Neo’s camera eyes. A process that raises controversy, considering that the remote technician, or anyone else, is gaining access, through the robot's camera eyes, to the inside of your home, during the expert session. To which 1X responds: "You have to be OK with this, for the product to be useful."

The video below shows some of what Neo is capable of doing.

Neo robots are produced at a 58,000-square-foot facility in Hayward, California. The first vertically integrated humanoid factory, plus 200 workers. In other words, this facility produces everything, from raw materials to finished robot, including motors, sensors, batteries and structural transmission system. The company plans to ship 10,000 robots in 2026, the first year of operations, and then scale to 100,000 robots in 2027. Neo costs 20,000 USD or 499 USD per month. You can order one with a 200 USD deposit.

References

1X (company web site)

https://www.1x.tech/neo 

Open AI

https://openai.com/