California company 1X Technologies has updated the hands of its humanoid robot Neo to “do almost any task a human can do with their hands”.
The hands will be included in the first model of the Neo robot to be delivered to homes, which will be shipped this year, according to the company. The 5-foot-6-inch (167 cm) humanoid robot is designed to perform household tasks.
Neo’s hands have been in development earlier this year, as 1X Technologies (1X) continues to improve Neo’s design and performance before it’s release.
The hand is equipped with 25 joints, thus providing 25 degrees of movement. Built with an internal tendon system created by the 1X engineering team, videos show it grasping objects or moving around with its “fingers”.
“Our goal was not a hand that looks impressive on paper,” says 1X founder Bernt Børnich. “These hands are the culmination of rigorous engineering focused on making humanoids truly useful.”
“We built them to match or exceed human capabilities in all important aspects. With these hands, Neo crosses an important threshold. A robot can now do things that people do with their hands, every day. This is what the industry has been waiting for.”
1X aims to mimic the biological structure of the human hand and fingers in the design. For example, put motors in the arm of the building, where most of the human hand works.
Decisions allow for increased “accuracy” and “gentleness”.
“These new hands match or exceed human performance with good manipulation,” the team said.
“Neo can assemble LEGO structures, pick up individual screws and coins from a bag, screw and turn on light bulbs, use a screwdriver, rotate objects by hand, put on a jacket, plug in a USB-C charger, hold a wine glass, wipe surfaces with a paper towel and spray, and communicate in sign language, and more.”
The robot hand is also covered in a “skin” equipped with sensors on the fingers and surfaces, which allow it to detect pressure and make contact with an object.
“It’s a functional thing, not a decorative thing,” said the group.
Tesla also removed the motors from his Optimus humanoid hand for the new Gen 3 model.
Both companies are also working on the ability to manufacture humanoid hands, which could prove cost effective.
1X says it can produce “10,000 hands this year” entirely in-house, while Tesla is looking to take its Optimus robot into mass production, recently announcing it will dedicate former Model S factory lines to produce its own humanoid robot.
Neo’s latest hands mark another development in the growing development of human robots, which are now being combined with artificial intelligence systems.
“For seven decades, robots have worked on manual problems,” said 1X. “The humanoid bet is wrong.”
Earlier this year, Dezeen visited the 1X Technologies campus in California, when the company announced the launch of Neo last year.
Photography courtesy of 1X Technologies.