1X has acquired Kind Humanoid, the Norwegian robotics startup told TechCrunch on Monday. The deal marks a small but key consolidation for a humanoid robotics industry on the brink of a major moment in 2025. TechCrunch spoke with Kind Humanoid in October, when the then-three-person startup announced that it had enlisted famed designer Yves Béhar to help create its first commercial robot. The story had all the charm one anticipates from a plucky startup formed in a Silicon Valley garage. CEO and ex-Google robotics researcher Christoph Kohstall 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 a ceiling-mounted gantry system visible in the shot for a far less conventional $80 coat rack. Along with attracting Béhar — the designer of products like the Jawbone fitness tracker, One Laptop Per Child, and August Locks — Kind clearly won over fellow robotics firms. Meanwhile, 1X has made headlines for both its generative AI-driven approach to the space and its high-profile funding rounds, including $100 million raised last January.

Full story : OpenAI-backed 1X acquires Norwegian robotics startup, Kind Humanoid.