Have you ever seen a humanoid robot playing LEGO or pouring tea in a cup just like we humans do? Well, robots using their hands just like humans surely sounds unbelievable. But not anymore! And that’s because the robotics company 1X has just introduced a major upgrade for its NEO humanoid robot.

1X’s NEO humanoid robot now has new hands with 25 degrees of freedom. This move indeed marks a major step towards giving robots human-like dexterity. According to the company, this new design of the hands has significantly improved NEO’s precision and strength, along with safety and reliability. And with this new upgrade, NEO is now capable of performing a variety of everyday tasks.

The launch comes at a time when 1X is already increasing production of NEO at its California facility. The company is preparing to bring the household robot to customers. 

New Design Brings Human-Like Dexterity

The new hands feature 25 degrees of freedom. These include 22 actuated joints across the fingers and palm and three joints in the wrist. NEO’s hands are not the same as those conventional robotic hands that only follow movement commands. In fact, its hands are fully force-controlled and backdrivable. Wondering what that means? Well, that means NEO not only moves its fingers, but can also feel the external force while interacting with objects.

The system is built on 1X’s proprietary tendon-drive design. It uses a low gear ratio of 5:1 to 15:1. The company says this improves force transparency. As a result, the robot can sense how much pressure an object puts on its fingers without relying only on external sensors.

The hands also feature continuous proprioception, allowing NEO to know the position of every finger and its wrist even without using cameras. High-resolution tactile sensors across the fingertips and hand surfaces measure pressure and contact location. Because of this, the robot quickly gets to know if an object is about to slip from its hands, so it instantly adjusts its grip accordingly.

As per Bernt Børnich, CEO and Founder of 1X, the company’s focus was not on chasing impressive specifications only. In fact, they genuinely aimed at creating useful robotic hands. He said that this new design is an important milestone that will help NEO handle those day-to-day tasks that humans perform with their hands.

Built for Everyday Household Tasks

This robotic hand, as we all know, is inspired by a human hand. Hence, NEO’s new design includes an opposable thumb that improves grip and fine manipulation. The company released a demonstration video in which NEO performed a variety of tasks using its hands. These included assembling LEGO models and picking up screws and coins. It was even seen installing light bulbs and using a screwdriver, as well as rotating objects within its hand and zipping a jacket. Not only this, but it even managed to sort grapes, pour tea, catch soft balls, plug in USB-C connectors, wipe surfaces, and communicate through sign language.

While creating NEO’s hands, 1X also prioritized their durability. And in order to achieve that, the company ensured the hands are IP68 waterproof. It is worth noting that these hands are made from food-safe materials and can be washed under running water. According to 1X, the components have been tested through millions of operating cycles. And the wrist joints alone have been tested for more than two million cycles under heavy loads.

Expanding Production of NEO

1X says it has already started manufacturing the new hands on a dedicated production line capable of producing up to 10,000 hands annually. The company manufactures motors, tendons, electronics, tactile sensors, and soft polymer skins in-house to support large-scale production and accelerate the development of embodied AI systems.

Standing 1.68 meters (5 feet 6 inches) tall and weighing about 30 kilograms, NEO can lift up to 70 kilograms. It is powered by an Nvidia Jetson Thor chip, offers around four hours of battery life, and features a soft exterior designed to improve safety during interactions with people.

1X is currently accepting pre-orders for NEO in the United States. The robot is priced at $20,000 for outright purchase or $499 per month through a subscription plan, with first deliveries expected in late 2026.

The company, backed by investors including OpenAI, is competing with other major players in the growing humanoid robotics market, including Tesla’s Optimus and Figure. Dar Sleeper, 1X’s Vice President of Design and Product, said the new robotic hand is the closest the company has come to achieving human-level dexterity. He added that shrinking the design while making it suitable for large-scale manufacturing was one of the project’s biggest engineering challenges.

As competition in humanoid robotics continues to grow, 1X believes its latest hand technology removes one of the industry’s biggest hardware barriers and brings household robots another step closer to performing practical daily tasks with human-like precision.