Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
1X, an AI and robotics company developing androids that address global labour needs, announced it had secured $100 million in Series B funding, backed by prominent investors including EQT Ventures, Samsung NEXT, Skagerak Capital, and Nistad group.
1X intends to utilize the funds to bolster its current enterprise clientele and introduce its novel bipedal android "NEO" to the consumer market. The company also intends to expand its data gathering and training approach for embodied AI.
We are thrilled that these leading investors are supporting 1X's mission of safely deploying androids with smart behavior into new markets. Our next milestone will be scaling our data collection strategy for Embodied AI and offering NEO to consumers.
Bernt Øivind Børnich, CEO of 1X
NEO, a bipedal android designed to look and move like a human, is tailored for the consumer market. Its purpose is to provide everyday home assistance, catering to domestic needs such as cleaning, organizing, and running errands.
NEO offers essential household support, including tasks such as tidying and organizing. Additionally, 1X explores how NEO can assist individuals facing mobility challenges, such as retrieving items and offering companionship. The potential of NEO also extends to contributing to research endeavors, aiding the robotics community in fields like as psychology and artificial intelligence.
NEO has a secure, well-balanced, and intelligent design.
NEO is still under development as it is meticulously crafted to serve as a versatile android personal assistant that integrates into the fabric of its owner's daily routines. This entails NEO's capacity to adeptly manage routine responsibilities and errands, simplifying the user's life experience.
The learning models developed by 1X integrate artificial intelligence with advanced human-like robotics, enabling NEO to perform a wide array of tasks proficiently. As an additional pair of hands, NEO is particularly beneficial in scenarios requiring assistance, notably for older people or individuals with limited mobility. As NEO navigates its surroundings, it continuously learns and enhances its capabilities, progressively adapting to more intricate responsibilities.
Many humanoid robots are in use in many countries, with Asia leading the market.
For instance, certain humanoid robots, such as Kime, are dispensing and presenting refreshments and snacks to patrons at autonomous stands in Spain. Some are also fulfilling duties as hotel concierges and in various guest-oriented positions. Humanoid Robots Nao and Pepper collaborate with students in academic environments, creating content and instructing in programming.
Androids have been under development for a while now, but recent progress in artificial intelligence, specifically in language models, has significantly improved their potential. With 1X's NEO, the potential of androids performing tasks in homes is even closer.
From Leonardo da Vinci, to today's sci-fi, humans have dreamt of humanoid robots for more than 500 years. It's a privilege to witness the enabling technologies form in front of our eyes, in real-time. The impact of androids joining our human workforce, on our terms will be transformative (to say the least). We're convinced 1X with their NEO androids will play a crucial role in the pioneering steps towards the first forays of our technological and human future.
Ted Persson, Partner, EQT Ventures
