- Published on
China wants to solve the hardest problem in robotics β making hands
- Authors
- Name
- DeepHorus
Chinese startups are racing to develop fully dexterous robotic hands, aiming to solve what many consider the hardest problem in robotics. These efforts leverage China's manufacturing strengths and strong government support for 'embodied AI' to transform humanoid robots from dancing novelties into useful products. A new wave of companies believes they are close to surpassing this final hurdle, with most of them based in China.
Human hands are exceptionally complex, requiring a precise set of neurological instructions for tasks like tying shoelaces or buttoning a shirt. For thousands of years, no machine has truly replicated this versatility. Now, as artificial intelligence advances, companies like LinkerBot are focusing exclusively on hand dexterity to unlock the potential of humanoid robots.
LinkerBot, founded in 2023 by Zhou Yong, already produces about 5,000 robotic hands per month and plans to double that figure. The company targets a valuation of $6 billion and aims to reduce the cost of prosthetic hands from tens of thousands of dollars to just $1,000. Elon Musk, whose company Tesla makes the Optimus humanoid, has stated that hands represent 'the majority of the engineering difficulty of the entire robot.'
The implications are significant: dextrous hands are essential for making humanoids useful in daily settings, such as folding laundry, cooking, or cutting hair. China sees robotics as key to unlocking future economic potential, especially given its aging and shrinking workforce. The government has repeatedly emphasized 'embodied AI' in development plans, with the Communist Party's journal Qiushi highlighting it as a sector opening up 'trillion-yuan markets.'
Zhou Yong explains that making a robotic hand is 'one hundred times more difficult' than making a whole humanoid due to its dexterity and small size. Inspired by Steve Jobs, he decided to focus solely on hands when launching LinkerBot. He believes that by concentrating on this one point, it becomes easier to realize many human skills.
Chinese companies are racing ahead on the hardware side thanks to a cheap and sophisticated manufacturing supply chain, partly driven by the rise of the electric vehicle industry. However, software challenges remain, and the International Federation of Robotics concluded last September that 'true multipurpose humanoids are far off yet.' While more than half of factory robots installed annually are in China, the path to fully dextrous robotic hands still requires solving complex hardware and software problems.
Looking ahead, Chinese startups like LinkerBot are positioning themselves to lead in this critical technology. With continued investment and government support, they may soon overcome the engineering difficulties that have long stumped roboticists. The race to build the perfect robotic hand could redefine the future of humanoid robotics and automation.
