Bernt Øivind Børnich
Also known as Bernt Børnich, Bernt Øyvind Børnich
Bernt Øivind Børnich is the founder and CEO of 1X Technologies, a humanoid robot company whose work pairs robotics with AI. He holds a bachelor's degree in robotics and nano-electronics from the University of Oslo. In 2014 he founded Halodi Robotics to build general-purpose robots that can perform labor alongside humans. In 2022 the company partnered with OpenAI to lay the foundation for embodied learning, and in 2025 he introduced NEO at TED2025. In June 2026 1X launched its World Model Lab, and he argued that full autonomy requires owning the entire stack.
Timeline
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2014
Founding Halodi Robotics
He holds a bachelor's degree in robotics and nano-electronics from the University of Oslo. In 2014 he founds Halodi Robotics to build general-purpose robots that can perform labor alongside humans.
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2022
A partnership with OpenAI
In 2022 the company he founded partners with OpenAI to combine robotics and AI for embodied learning.
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March 2023
A $23.5 million round
In March 2023 1X raises US$23.5 million in Series A2 funding.
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August 2024
NEO Beta debuts
In August 2024 the first version of NEO, called NEO Beta, is introduced.
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April 2025
A TED2025 talk on NEO
In April 2025 he gives a live-demo talk at TED2025, introducing NEO as a humanoid robot designed to help around the house.
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October 2025
Pre-orders for NEO
In October 2025 his company, 1X, opens pre-orders for NEO, a humanoid robot for private homes that is scheduled for release in 2026.
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June 2026
The 1X World Model Lab
In June 2026 1X launches the World Model Lab to pretrain video foundation models for its humanoids. He argues that full autonomy requires owning the entire stack.
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As of October 2026
Founder and CEO of 1X
He is the founder and CEO of 1X Technologies, a company that began in 2014 as Halodi Robotics.
Sources and credits
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