Sanctuary AI: Humanoid Robots Will Hit Homes In 3-7 Years

InnovationConsumer TechSanctuary AI: Humanoid Robots Will Hit Homes In 3-7 YearsByJohn Koetsier,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Journalist, analyst, author, podcaster.Follow AuthorMay 16, 2026, 07:02pm EDTMay 16, 2026, 07:04pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This is Phoenix, Sanctuary AI's humanoid robot. Screenshot from Sanctuary AI's website.John KoetsierWill the home be the last place the humanoid robot gets a job? According to Sanctuary AI CEO James Wells, probably yes.That’s a bit of a gut punch for those of us who want our clothes laundered, dishes done, floors cleaned, houses tidied and maybe even our meals made by robots with Genesis AI or Kyber Labs hands. Certainly 1X with its Neo robot and Figure are very interested in the idea that humanoid robots will soon be at work in our homes. Wells, however, isn’t buying it.I caught up with James Wells at Web Summit Vancouver this week. Sanctuary is Canada’s only homegrown humanoid robotics company and holds what Wells says is the third-largest IP portfolio in the space globally. What Wells told me just might reframe much of the current humanoid hype cycle.The home humanoid timeline: “three, five, maybe seven years”1X, which just kicked off full-scale production of its humanoid robot Neo, is one of the robot makers that have explicitly targeted the home market. In fact, I know someone who has pre-ordered Neo, which is targeted to ship before the end of this year.I asked Wells point-blank whether 1X's Neo, which is being pre-sold for home deployment now, is doomed.He didn’t bite the way I expected. "I applaud their marketing initiative," he said, choosing his words with care. "Which is a marketing initiative."Then he laid out Sanctuary’s internal ranking of deployment environments by viability: unit economics, environment complexity, cus...