Humanoid Robot Competition Shifts Focus to Hands
Olivier__OG · x · 2026-07-13
This post emphasizes that the hardest part of building humanoid robots isn't just "walking," but the "hands." The author argues that legs determine if a robot can move to a location, but hands determine if it can actually act on the world. NEO's hand by 1X Technologies is considered crucial because it features **25 degrees of freedom**, **force-controlled joints**, **tactile sensing**, **anti-slip detection**, and a **waterproof design**, enabling more delicate, precise, and force-regulated tasks. The post further contrasts two-finger grippers with human-like hands: the former can only perform a few basic motions, while the latter allows robots to execute complex operations like sorting, grasping, pouring, assembling, opening doors, cleaning, and manipulating objects in cluttered environments. The conclusion is that the future ceiling of humanoid robots depends not on who walks the best, but on who can safely "touch, sense, and manipulate" the world at scale.
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