On July 9, 2026, 1X Technologies officially unveiled the next-generation hands for its NEO humanoid — built entirely in-house, with 25 degrees of freedom?degrees of freedom (DoF): The number of independent directions in which a mechanism can move. and a closed-loop tendon system. This is the most technically detailed publicly disclosed humanoid hand design to date, aimed squarely at everyday domestic use.
Key takeaways
- 24–25 degrees of freedom (22 fully actuated in fingers and palm, 2–3 DoF wrist)
- Motors in the forearm, not the fingers — closed-loop tendon drive system
- Peak torque: 3.5 Nm at the thumb, 45 Nm distal flexion
- Fingertip tactile sensors: measure normal force, contact location, and shear
- IP68?IP68: An ingress rating: full protection against dust and prolonged water immersion. rated, food-safe — NEO can literally wash its own hands
Tendon drive over direct motors
The architecture debate for humanoid hands has been running for years. Companies like AGILINK with its OmniHand 3 Ultra-M and Wuji Tech with the Wuji Hand 2 have been exploring direct-drive approaches where motors sit directly at each joint.
1X Technologies chose differently.
The new NEO hands move all actuator mass into the forearm. The fingers stay compact and low-inertia. Force is transmitted through closed-loop tendon cables. The result: hands capable of precise, delicate manipulation — sorting grapes by color, picking up a coin — while also handling raw force tasks like carrying heavy bags.
Low gear ratios (between 5:1 and 15:1) enable backdrivability?backdrivability: A mechanism's ability to yield to external force instead of resisting rigidly. — when a finger collides with an obstacle, the impact energy dissipates through the motors instead of snapping a joint or bruising a person. That is mechanical compliance without needing a dedicated safety controller.
Sensing beyond vision
Vision alone is insufficient for tasks involving occlusion, transparency, or fragile materials. Transparent glasses, partially hidden objects, and crush-sensitive items all require real-time tactile data.
NEO fingers carry high-resolution tactile sensors that measure normal force, exact contact location, and shear force. This lets the robot detect slip before it happens and correct grip pressure in real time. That sensor stream feeds directly into the 1XWM video-to-action model that manages NEO motor policies.
IP68 and food-safe ratings mean the hands survive contact with water and food — not a nice-to-have in a kitchen environment, but a hard requirement.
A crowded race for humanoid hands
Tesla is reportedly applying finishing touches to the third-generation Tesla Optimus hand. Figure AI is locking in the design of its seventh-generation gripper targeting human parity. Tesollo, a Korean company preparing for an IPO, is pitching its five-finger DG-5F-S at under 1 kg and roughly 60% the cost of its predecessor.
| Company | Approach | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1X Technologies | Tendon drive, 25 DoF, tactile sensing | Shipping in 2026 |
| Tesla | 3rd-gen Optimus hand | Finishing touches |
| Figure AI | 7th-gen gripper | Targeting human parity |
| Tesollo | DG-5F-S, five fingers, under 1 kg | Preparing for IPO |
1X differentiates itself through vertical integration. The Hayward, California factory already produces NEO platforms. The new hands are designed and built by the same company — no external suppliers for critical components. According to CEO Bernt Bornich, that hardware-AI integration is what enables rapid iteration on control policies.
New CFO ahead of consumer launch
Alongside the hardware announcement, 1X appointed Bill Nash as CFO. Nash previously worked at Cruise (autonomous vehicles) and Ursa Major (aerospace). He steps in as the company begins shipping NEO at $20,000 per unit or $499 per month on subscription.
Nash's appointment follows last week's hire of Tom Sanocki as VP of Engineering — a former Pixar and Roblox veteran. The new leadership team is tasked with managing production ramp-up and building out the developer ecosystem simultaneously.
Why this matters
Hands are the bottleneck for humanoids. Legs and torsos already work — Boston Dynamics proved that years ago. The real challenge is manipulation. A humanoid that cannot operate a door handle, unload a dishwasher, or drive a screw has no home utility. The new NEO hands are the most detailed public attempt at a mechanism that is simultaneously delicate, strong, and safe — without trading one for another. The tendon approach with forearm-mounted motors reduces finger mass, which directly affects movement speed and battery requirements. Integrated tactile sensors are not a feature addition — they are a prerequisite for closed-loop learning of dexterous manipulation. If 1X ships NEO to homes before the end of 2026, these hands will become the first real-world mass-deployment test of this architecture.
What next
- 1X announced NEO deliveries to developers and early consumer buyers in 2026 from its Hayward, California factory
- Integration of tactile sensor data with the 1XWM model is planned to develop iteratively after initial deployments
- The company is collecting hand motion data from more users to build a larger training dataset for robotic dexterous policies
Sources
- Humanoids Daily — The "Final Boss" of Home Robotics: 1X Unveils Next-Gen Robotic Hands for NEO Alongside New CFO
- 1X Technologies — NEO Hands
