Norwegian humanoid robotics company 1X Technologies has unveiled a next-generation tendon-driven hand for its NEO humanoid, packing 25 actuated degrees of freedom, high-resolution tactile fingertips and IP68 waterproofing designed to remove what founder Bernt Børnich calls the 'hardware ceiling' on modern humanoids.
25 Degrees Of Freedom, Motors In The Forearm
The hand carries 22 fully actuated joints across the fingers and palm plus three more at the wrist. Motors live in the forearm and pull proprietary tendons through the wrist, keeping the hand itself light while sustaining high grip forces. Gear ratios of roughly 5:1 to 15:1 give force transparency, letting external forces be sensed directly at the joints for compliant contact with people and objects.
Tactile Sensing And IP68 For Real Homes
1X paired the mechanics with high-resolution tactile sensing across the fingertips that measures pressure, contact location and shear. Rated IP68 and built from food-safe materials, the hand is designed for wet environments — including washing itself — and has already been through millions of test cycles. Demos span picking up screws and coins, installing light bulbs, assembling LEGO, sorting grapes by colour, pouring tea, plugging in USB-C and signing.
10,000 Hands A Year To Ship With NEO
The company has stood up a dedicated production line for the hand and expects to build up to 10,000 units this year to feed early NEO customer deliveries. Vertical integration — motors, electronics, sensing, tendons and software — is central to the pitch. 'The robot can now do the things humans do with their hands, every day. This is what the industry has been waiting for,' Børnich said. It arrives as rivals such as Weave Robotics open home-humanoid pre-orders and Chinese wheeled-humanoid maker AI2 Robotics ramps behind a $735M raise.
Reporting based on coverage from 1X Technologies and Robotics & Automation News.