Oslo-based robotics startup, 1X Robotics has successfully raised $100 million which will be used to launch a new general-purpose AI-powered robot. The Norwegian company is known for being backed by ChatGPT’s maker OpenAI.
The latest Series B funding was led by EQT Ventures, with participation from Samsung NEXT, Nistad Group, Sandwater, Skagerak Capital, and some other notable investors. These funds will not only be used to launch its new bipedal AI robot, Neo but will also be allocated for supporting its enterprise customers.
1X Robotics was originally known as Halodi Robotics when it launched 1o years ago under its founder Bernt Øivind Børnich. 1X aims to create general-purpose robots that are capable of undertaking labor-intensive tasks. The startup joined hands with OpenAI in 2022 to integrate AI models into its robots. These AI models allowed the robots to understand natural language and learn while performing tasks.
Other than Neo, the company’s bipedal humanoid robot which is currently under development, 1X Robotics has previously unveiled Eve, which is a wheeled robot with a similar purpose. Eve is a self-balancing robot that was launched in April 2023, but it was meant for office-related tasks such as patrolling around an office building, checking employee IDs, moving shipments in a warehouse, and more.
Neo’s primary function is to lend a hand with various daily household chores like cleaning, organizing, and shopping. This venture into bipedal humanoid robots aligns with the broader trend in the industry, where investors foresee the emergence of a new generation of androids within the next few years. However, the ultimate success of Neo and similar models, such as Tesla’s Optimus Bot, in fulfilling these promises, or if they encounter analogous challenges to those faced by self-driving cars, remains a topic of curiosity for the future.
Securing a fresh injection of funding, totaling almost $137 million in capital raised to date, 1X Technologies has outlined its strategic objectives. These include bolstering support for their current enterprise clientele, introducing Neo to the consumer market, and broadening their data collection and training efforts for embodied AI, charting a course for further growth and development.
