Boston Dynamics' new Atlas hand GR3 drops the pinky: 13-DoF design trade-offs explained
xiaohu · x · 2026-10-02
Boston Dynamics has given its Atlas humanoid a new hand, GR3, upping the degrees of freedom from 7 to 13 (4 for the opposable thumb, 3 for each of the three fingers) in a slightly larger, stronger-than-human package — with no pinky.
Why drop the pinky: CTO Zack had team members tape their pinkies to adjacent fingers for a day. The verdict: the extra dexterity wasn't worth 3 extra DoFs, 3 actuators, and the added size, power draw, cost, and failure risk.
Key design points:
- In-hand manipulation: reorienting objects, tripodal grasp, holding a tool while pulling a trigger;
- Pressure tactile sensors on fingertips and palm, with proprioception from the actuators;
- Compliant joints that yield under impact to protect gearboxes;
- One unified actuator type across all 13 DoFs, fully sealed, no cables crossing joints;
- With the full Atlas, can carry a small fridge loaded with over 100 lbs (45 kg) — an whole-robot spec, not a per-hand payload.
The design targets industrial and logistics settings, balancing dexterity, strength, durability, cost, and serviceability.
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