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1X

Category: Robotics / Embodied AI

An AI and robotics company developing general-purpose humanoid androids designed to work safely alongside humans using end-to-end neural networks and proprietary hardware. 1X was founded in 2014. The company is led by Bernt Øivind Børnich. Based in Moss, Norway. Team size: 100-500. Total funding raised: $137M total. Latest round: Series B ($100M, Jan 2024). Key investors include ["OpenAI Startup Fund","EQT Ventures","Tiger Global","Samsung NEXT","Sandwater","Skagerak Capital"].

Founded
2014
Headquarters
Moss, Norway
Team size
100-500
Total funding
$137M total

Value proposition

Delivers human-safe, high-torque androids capable of learning complex tasks through observation and simulation, eliminating the need for task-specific programming and addressing global labor shortages.

Products and solutions

["EVE: A wheeled humanoid robot for security, logistics, and healthcare support.","NEO: A bipedal, human-centric android designed for home assistance and complex manipulation.","1X World Model: A generative AI framework that allows robots to predict environmental changes and learn from visual data.","Revo1 Servo Motors: Proprietary high-torque, gearless drive systems."]

Unique value

Focuses on 'safe-to-touch' robotics using muscle-like organic movement and back-drivable motors, allowing robots to interact with humans without the safety cages required by traditional industrial bots.

Target customer

Enterprise security firms, logistics and warehouse operators, and future residential/consumer households.

Industries served

["Security and Surveillance","Logistics and Warehousing","Healthcare Support","Consumer/Home Automation"]

Technology advantage

Utilizes proprietary gearless Revo1 motors for high torque-to-weight ratios and end-to-end learning-from-demonstration, which allows robots to acquire skills via teleoperation and video rather than manual coding.

How they differentiate

1X differentiates through 'safe-to-touch' robotics using proprietary gearless Revo1 motors. Unlike competitors using rigid actuators, 1X robots are 'back-drivable' and move with muscle-like organic tension, allowing them to work safely alongside humans without safety cages. Their partnership with OpenAI provides a unique advantage in embodied AI and end-to-end neural network learning.

Main competitors

["Figure AI","Tesla (Optimus)","Sanctuary AI","Agility Robotics"]

Key partnerships

["OpenAI (Strategic AI integration and investment)","ADT Commercial (Deployment partner for security humanoids)","EQT Ventures (Lead investor)","NVIDIA (Utilization of Isaac Sim for synthetic data training)"]

Notable customers

["ADT Commercial","Various logistics and security pilot partners"]

Major milestones

["Secured landmark investment from OpenAI Startup Fund in March 2023","Raised $100M Series B to scale commercial humanoid production in January 2024","Unveiled NEO Beta, a bipedal humanoid designed for consumer home use, in August 2024","Released 'World Model' generative AI framework for robotic environmental reasoning in January 2026"]

Growth metrics

Scaled from 60 to over 180 employees following Series B; expanded operations from Norway to a major AI strategy center in San Francisco.

Market positioning

Human-centric humanoid leader transitioning from industrial security (EVE) to consumer-grade home assistance (NEO).

Geographic focus

Europe (Norway HQ and manufacturing) and North America (San Francisco AI hub).

Patents and IP

Proprietary IP surrounding the Revo1 gearless drive system, high-torque servo motor architecture, and humanoid balance control systems.

About Bernt Øivind Børnich

Bernt Øivind Børnich is the Founder and CEO of 1X (formerly Halodi Robotics). A robotics engineer by training, he has spent over a decade developing high-torque, human-safe robotic systems. He is the primary inventor of the Revo1 servo motors, which utilize a proprietary gearless drive system to achieve high torque-to-weight ratios and 'back-drivability' for safe human-robot interaction. Under his leadership, the company rebranded to 1X and secured a landmark partnership and investment from the OpenAI Startup Fund to integrate embodied AI into humanoid forms.

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