What specific tasks can the new hands perform?

According to 1X, the hands are capable of assembling LEGO models, picking up screws and coins, installing light bulbs, using screwdrivers, rotating objects in-hand, zipping jackets, sorting grapes, pouring tea, plugging in USB-C connectors, and communicating using sign language.

How many units does 1X plan to produce?

1X expects to manufacture up to 10,000 units during the year, supporting wider deployment of the NEO humanoid platform.

What makes the hand design suitable for real-world environments?

The hands are rated IP68 for water resistance and use food-safe materials, allowing the robot to operate in wet environments and wash its own hands. The design has undergone millions of test cycles and is intended for continuous operation while maintaining compliance and safety during contact with people and objects.

RoboticsRobotics & Automation NewsJul 17, 2026Jul 18, 2026, 01:00 JST

1X unveils 25-DoF hands for NEO humanoid robot

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3 Key Points

What happened
Humanoid robotics company 1X has unveiled a new tendon-driven robotic hand for its NEO platform featuring 25 degrees of freedom—22 fully actuated joints in the fingers and palm and three at the wrist—with force-controlled, backdrivable joints designed for improved manipulation and tactile perception.
Why it matters
The company says the new hardware removes the "hardware ceiling" that has limited humanoid robot capabilities, allowing AI models to leverage more human-like manipulation. The hands are capable of tasks including assembling LEGO models, picking up coins and screws, installing light bulbs, using screwdrivers, zipping jackets, sorting grapes, pouring tea, plugging in USB-C connectors, and communicating using sign language—demonstrations that the robot can handle everyday human tasks.
What to watch
1X has established a dedicated production line and expects to manufacture up to 10,000 units during the year. The hands use tendon-driven actuation with gear ratios of approximately 5:1 to 15:1, are rated IP68 for water resistance, and incorporate high-resolution tactile sensing capable of measuring pressure, contact location, and shear forces.

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Context & Analysis

1X's new hand represents a significant shift in addressing what the company frames as a fundamental constraint in humanoid robotics: the gap between available hardware and the demands of real-world manipulation tasks. The design combines 25 degrees of freedom with force-controlled, backdrivable joints—a combination intended to enable both the precision and the tactile feedback that humans take for granted. By housing motors in the forearm and routing proprietary tendons through the wrist, 1X achieves high grip forces while keeping the hand itself lightweight and suitable for continuous use.

The company's emphasis on practical capability is reflected in the range of demonstrated tasks, from LEGO assembly and tool use to delicate work like sorting grapes. The addition of high-resolution tactile sensing—measuring pressure, contact location, and shear forces—suggests that the hand is designed not only to grasp and move objects but to sense and respond to them in ways that the company believes will unlock more sophisticated AI-driven manipulation. The vertically integrated approach, with motors, electronics, sensing, and software all developed in-house, may allow 1X to iterate and refine the system more rapidly than a design reliant on external components.

FAQ

What specific tasks can the new hands perform?: According to 1X, the hands are capable of assembling LEGO models, picking up screws and coins, installing light bulbs, using screwdrivers, rotating objects in-hand, zipping jackets, sorting grapes, pouring tea, plugging in USB-C connectors, and communicating using sign language.
How many units does 1X plan to produce?: 1X expects to manufacture up to 10,000 units during the year, supporting wider deployment of the NEO humanoid platform.
What makes the hand design suitable for real-world environments?: The hands are rated IP68 for water resistance and use food-safe materials, allowing the robot to operate in wet environments and wash its own hands. The design has undergone millions of test cycles and is intended for continuous operation while maintaining compliance and safety during contact with people and objects.

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