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The race to perfect the humanoid form factor will be one of 2024\u2019s defining tech stories. Last year saw the category heat up, as companies like Tesla<\/a>, Apptronik<\/a> and Figure<\/a> debuted their systems, while Agility<\/a> inched closer to the finish lining, announcing a warehouse pilot with Amazon.<\/p>\n 1X is a name (well, a number and letter) that surprisingly doesn\u2019t get as much column space as most of the above. I say \u201csurprising\u201d because the Norwegian firm entered the conversation with a splash back in April, announcing a $23.5 million round<\/a>. This is one of those fundraising cases where the who<\/em> arguable matters more than the how much<\/em>.<\/p>\n Tiger Global\u2019s participation is certainly notable, but it was OpenAI, the round\u2019s lead, that turned the most heads. Understandably so, given the role the firm has played in generative AI\u2019s stratospheric rise over the past year. That underlying technology will almost certainly play an outsized role in shaping robotics\u2019 future, and OpenAI has seemingly picked its horse.<\/p>\n This week, 1X announced that it has nearly quadrupled that already respectable figure with a $100 million Series B. OpenAI\u2019s name is no longer at top of this list, however, with EQT Ventures getting top billing. 1X\u2019s total fundraising now stands at an enviable $125 million.<\/p>\n The heart of the company\u2019s play is NEO. The humanoid robot strikes a similar figure (so to speak) as some of the competition. It also aims to tackle a similar issue \u2014 specifically global labor shortages. The logic (stop me if you\u2019ve heard this one before) is that humanoids are the ideal form factor for navigating environments built by humanoids for humanoids. Makes enough sense on its face, right?<\/p>\n There are, however, no shortage of detractors. Some suggest such systems are over engineered. Others (likely rightfully) insist that true general-purpose functionality is much further off than we\u2019re being led to believe. That latter bit, however, is one of the key places where generative AI can do a lot of heavy lifting.<\/p>\n As for where the large sum of money will go, CEO Bernt \u00d8ivind B\u00f8rnich has a refreshingly earnest response, nothing, \u201cThis is the first time we are able to offer a payout to our dedicated team. Their contributions have been pivotal to our success.\u201d<\/p>\n The funds will also go toward enhancing the company\u2019s Embodied AI offering and go-to-market for NEO.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n