Inside the robot hand fight: Tesla and Figure's opposing tendon designs, up to 120 tendons
micoolcho · x · 2026-09-18
RoboStrategy's interview with robotics mechanics expert Scott Walter breaks down dexterous hand designs from Tesla Optimus, Figure, 1X, and others:
- The tendon divide: Tesla and Figure took opposing design paths on tendon-driven hands, each with distinct pros, cons, and big engineering challenges
- Extreme designs: a braided hand, hands with up to 120 tendons, and a hydraulic manipulation system built outside the humanoid form
- The wrist problem: why adding a wrist makes tendon cable routing dramatically harder
- Also covers Allonic Robotics, Daxo Robotics, and more
Related event: Podcast Digs Into the Humanoid Robot Race: Optimus, Figure and 1X NEO(2 posts)→
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