7.5 Billion Capital Influx! The Race for Robotic Dexterous Hands Heats Up

2025 saw the explosive growth of humanoid robots ignite a key technological race—robotic dexterous hands.

As the core component enabling fine manipulation in humanoid robots, dexterous hands have not only become a focal point for capital investment but are also experiencing an industrial boom driven by technological breakthroughs and mass production. Competition in this field has intensified, spanning financing data, technological iterations, and the involvement of both international giants and emerging players.

Dual Surge: Capital and Production Drive Record Market Heat

The fervor surrounding dexterous hands is unequivocally reflected in the capital markets. In 2025, China’s dexterous hand sector witnessed over 55 financing events, with disclosed funding exceeding 7.5 billion RMB. Both core metrics significantly surpassed the totals for the entire year of 2024.

This capital enthusiasm directly fueled a production surge. Annual output of dexterous hands leapt from 4,180 units in 2024 to over 20,000 units—a nearly fivefold increase within a single year. This marks a crucial transition for the industry from lab prototypes to scaled manufacturing.

This boom is no coincidence. For humanoid robots, dexterous hands are essential for achieving human-like manipulation. The human hand possesses 24-27 degrees of freedom (DoF), accounting for approximately $54\%$ of the body’s motor functions while constituting only about 1/150th of its weight. This highly efficient and compact structure represents a critical frontier in robotics R&D.

As humanoid robots move from concept to commercialization, market demands for higher precision, load capacity, and degrees of freedom in dexterous hands have directly catalyzed this explosive growth.

Core Technology Competition: Breakthroughs in Actuation, Transmission, and Sensing

The performance ceiling of dexterous hands is determined by four core technologies: actuation, transmission, sensing, and algorithms. The industry has established clear technological roadmaps, with leading companies reshaping the landscape through breakthroughs in key areas.

1. Actuation: Coreless Motors Emerge as the Mainstream Choice

The actuation system is the “power heart” of a dexterous hand. Fully-actuated solutions (independently driving each finger joint) have become the standard for high-end products due to their ability to achieve finely detailed movements akin to the human hand.

Among various actuation methods, motor drives are the preferred choice for mass production, prized for their high control precision, fast response, and modularity. Coreless motors, in particular, dominate due to their compact structure and high efficiency.

• Motor Drive: High precision, fast response, modular. Dominant.
• Hydraulic Drive: High load capacity, but prone to leakage and costly.
• Pneumatic Drive: Good compliance, but lacks precision control.
• Shape Memory Alloy: Large displacement, but short lifespan.

Domestic companies have made strides in motor R&D. Xynova Future introduced a self-developed 8mm diameter coreless motor. Paired with a micro electric cylinder, it achieves a maximum output thrust of 100-300N, reaching industry-leading levels.

2. Transmission: Ball Screw Drives Become the Leading Trend

The transmission system precisely transfers driving force to finger joints. While multiple technical routes coexist, ball screw transmission has emerged as the primary development trend.

This method uses a motor to drive a ball screw, converting rotational motion into linear motion. It offers high precision, transmission efficiency, strong load capacity, and long lifespan. Tesla Optimus’s hybrid solution of “coreless motor + ball screw + tendon drive” has become an industry benchmark.

• Ball Screw: High precision, efficiency, load capacity, lifespan. Leading.
• Tendon Drive: Lightweight, low cost, biomimetic, but weak load capacity & short lifespan.
• Linkage Drive: High rigidity, but complex structure & poor anthropomorphism.
• Gear Drive: High precision, but suffers from backlash issues & design complexity.

Domestic player Lingxinqiaoshou employs a “brushless motor + ball screw” super electric cylinder solution. It boasts a drive efficiency exceeding $90\%$ (over twice that of traditional products), an end thrust of 200N, and a tested lifespan exceeding 1 million cycles.

3. Sensing: Multi-modal Perception Converges, Global Players Compete

The sensing system acts as the dexterous hand’s “tactile and visual nerves,” divided into internal perception (force, displacement, torque) and external perception (tactile, vision, temperature).

The industry is evolving from single-sensor systems towards multi-modal fusion perception. Tactile sensors (e-skin) and vision sensors are key R&D focuses, with international sensor firms and domestic manufacturers establishing differentiated competitive positions.

Internationally, Melexis, a renowned sensor company, leverages its expertise in force and position sensing. Its products are applied in dexterous hand joint control and tactile feedback scenarios, providing reliable solutions.

Domestic achievements are equally impressive:

• Tactile Sensing: Paxini’s dexterous hand integrates 1140 tactile sensing units for skin-like multi-dimensional perception. Yuansheng Intelligent’s Apex Hand achieves 0.1mm control precision, enabling single-handed smartphone operation.
• Vision Sensing: Weitai Robotics’ GelSight fingertip sensor resolution surpasses human fingers. Daimeng Robotics’ DM-TacW2 meets IP65 protection standards, passing 5 million press tests. DieMotion Tech’s millimeter-level micro-vision tactile sensor fuses visual+tactile perception and has secured global patents. These breakthroughs enhance environmental recognition and operational adaptability.

4. Algorithm Evolution: From Execution Control to “Brain-Hand Coordination”

Algorithms serve as the “intelligent brain” of dexterous hands. Reinforcement Learning (RL) combined with tactile and visual fusion control is now the core research focus.

DeepMind and Shadow’s DEX-EE system autonomously optimizes grasping strategies for irregular objects using multi-modal perception, without requiring manual definition of motion details.

Domestic companies are also at the forefront of algorithmic innovation. Control systems are evolving from simple actuator control towards a complete intelligent chain encompassing “intent understanding – path planning – action execution.”

Companies like Lingxinqiaoshou and Xynova Future use proprietary algorithms to achieve compliant control and rapid response. Some products feature a full hand open/close time of just 0.6 seconds, a force resolution of 0.1N, and can perform delicate tasks like grasping eggs or pills.

Looking ahead, integrating large language models (LLMs) for “brain-hand coordination” represents a major direction for dexterous hand algorithms.

Global Landscape: Chinese Companies Lead Mass Production, International Giants Excel in Technology

The dexterous hand arena features a complementary dynamic: “International technological breakthroughs + Chinese mass production capabilities.”

Tesla Optimus serves as an industry bellwether. Its Gen2 hand has 11 DoF, while Gen3 increased to 22 DoF, enabling complex actions like playing piano or guitar. Its technical approach sets a reference benchmark. International sensor giants like Melexis provide crucial component support with their core technology advantages.

Domestic companies, leveraging rapid iteration and full-stack R&D, have achieved a “corner overtaking”:

• Degrees of Freedom (DoF): Xynova Future’s Flex 1 and Yihai Yuanshi’s 25-DOF industrial hand reach 25 DoF, exceeding mainstream international levels.
• Load Capacity: Products from Yuansheng Intelligent and Xynova Future exceed $30\mathrm{kg}$, leading globally in their class.
• Cost Control: Zhiyuan Robotics’ OmniHand 2025 series has driven prices down to the 10,000 RMB level, laying the foundation for large-scale adoption.

The core advantage of Chinese firms lies in full industrial chain R&D capability:

• Xynova Future achieves full in-house R&D and production of motors, motor controllers, reducers, ball screws, and algorithms.
• Lingxinqiaoshou develops ultra-strong electric cylinders with efficiency and lifespan far exceeding industry averages.
• Aoyi Tech focuses on medical rehabilitation, with products FDA/CE certified and priced below 100,000 RMB.

By the end of 2025, domestic players commanded over $80\%$ market share in the high-DoF dexterous hand segment. Unitree Tech’s bionic hands rank among the top globally in shipments. Chinese companies have built competitive moats in core sub-sectors.

Mass Production and Challenges: The Decisive Battle of 2026

2026 is poised to be the inaugural year of mass production for the dexterous hand industry. Lingxinqiaoshou has set a clear target of 50,000-100,000 unit deliveries. Companies like Ubtech, Unitree Tech, and Yuansheng Intelligent are also accelerating production capacity planning. The industry is shifting from technological competition to a scale-based contest.

QYResearch forecasts the global dexterous hand market will surpass $5 billion by 2030. Mass production capability will be the core competitive advantage for market share capture.

International players are also preparing for scale. Companies like Melexis, with mature mass manufacturing experience, ensure stable supply of core components, lowering integration barriers.

However, three major challenges persist behind the industry surge:

1. Cost Control: High costs of core components (motors, sensors) in fully-actuated solutions. Balancing performance with cost reduction is key for mass adoption.
2. Reliability: Demanding requirements for lifespan and environmental adaptability in industrial and consumer settings. Some technical solutions still require extended operational testing.
3. Application Scenarios: The humanoid robot market isn’t fully mature. Industrial applications require significant customization, while market acceptance for general-purpose dexterous hands needs time to develop.

The core path for companies to overcome these challenges involves parallel strategies of full-stack R&D and international collaboration:

• Domestic firms can control costs via in-house core components while integrating high-reliability sensors from international suppliers like Melexis to boost performance.
• International companies can leverage domestic mass production capabilities to rapidly access China’s vast market, creating a mutually beneficial ecosystem.

Conclusion: Dexterous Hands Usher in the “Era of Fine Manipulation”

The rise of robotic dexterous hands is not only an inevitable outcome of humanoid robot development but also signifies a leap for robots from “crude tasks” to “fine manipulation.”

Chinese companies have transitioned from followers to leaders on this track. Bolstered by capital, technological breakthroughs, and production readiness, they are steering the global direction of dexterous hand development. The technological infusion from international giants like Melexis provides higher precision and more reliable core components, propelling the entire industry towards high-quality advancement.

In 2026, with the onset of the mass production battle, the industry will enter an “elimination round.” Technological prowess, manufacturing capacity, cost control, and scenario adaptability will become the core survival factors for companies.

For the broader robotics industry, the maturation of dexterous hands will accelerate applications across humanoids, industrial robots, and rehabilitation robots, driving transformative changes in smart manufacturing, healthcare, and consumer electronics.

The race is hot, the future is here. In this competition centered on robotic “hand intelligence,” the collaboration and rivalry between Chinese and international enterprises will jointly script a new chapter for the global robotics industry.

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