1X Reveals Humanoid Robotic Hands That Can Pour Tea, Zip Jackets, and Sort Grapes

Norwegian robotics company 1X Technologies announced a new 25-degree-of-freedom tendon-driven robotic hand for its NEO humanoid robot, describing it as a breakthrough in dexterity, precision, safety and durability. The company said the redesigned hands remove a key hardware limitation that has long held back humanoid robots. According to 1X, each hand uses 22 actuated joints across the fingers and palm while three additional joints control the wrist. All 25 joints are force-controlled and backdrivable, meaning the fingers can respond to outside pressure rather than simply following preset movement commands. High-resolution tactile sensors detect pressure, contact location and sideways shear forces. Built-in proprioception tracks the position of each joint, allowing NEO to monitor its hand movements without depending entirely on cameras. In demonstrations shared