1X has acquired Kind Humanoid, the Norwegian robotics startup told TechCrunch on Monday. The deal represents a small but major consolidation for the humanoid robotics industry that is poised to have a major moment in 2025.
TechCrunch spoke with Kind Humanoid in October, when the then-three-person startup announced it had tapped famed designer Yves Behar to help create its first commercial robot.
The story had all the charm one would expect from a plucky startup formed in a garage in Silicon Valley. Google CEO and former robotics researcher Christoph Kohstal gave us a quick tour of the company’s chaotic East Bay headquarters via Zoom on his phone. He revealed, among other things, that Kind had eschewed the ceiling-mounted gantry system seen in the shot in favor of a much less traditional $80 coat rack.
Besides attracting Behar — designer of products like the Jawbone fitness tracker, One Laptop Per Child, and August Locks — Kind has clearly won over other robotics companies. Meanwhile, 1X has made headlines for its innovative AI-driven approach to the space, as well as high-profile funding rounds, including $100 million raised last January.
Companies including Tiger Global and OpenAI have counted themselves as investors. The latter is especially notable because interest in platforms like ChatGPT shows no sign of slowing down. Meanwhile, much of Kind’s work has focused on the role that LLMs (large language models) are likely to play as more robotics companies seek to create a type of general intelligence to pair with general-purpose form factors like humanoid robots.
1X Feedback,
Kind Humanoid’s unique experience and culture complement 1X’s mission of creating an abundance of employment through safe, intelligent human beings. The relationship between the two newly joined companies is built on the fundamental belief that humanoid robots need to develop alongside humans – living and learning among us.
Kind’s operations will also help 1X expand its operations in the Gulf region. Details of the deal were not revealed.
