dexinwin Chinese robotics company Unitree has launched its latest five-finger dexterous robotic hand, theDex5-S, with a starting price of RMB 39,900, or about US$5,600.
Unveiled on September 21, the Dex5-S is designed around a human-sized form factor and features 22 degrees of freedom in a single hand. The product is aimed at humanoid robots, embodied AI research and other applications that require precise manipulation.
Dexterous hands have become an increasingly important component of humanoid robots. While robotic arms can move objects from one location to another, a human-like hand allows robots to perform much more complicated tasks, including grasping irregular objects, turning handles, using tools and manipulating small items.
Unitree says the Dex5-S was designed to strike a balance between compact size and dexterity.
The hand uses a roughly 1:1 human-hand size, measuring about 102 × 187 × 26 millimeters and weighing approximately 620 grams. Its housing is made of aluminum alloy.
The 22 degrees of freedom are distributed across the five fingers. The thumb has five degrees of freedom, while the index, middle and ring fingers each have four. The little finger also has five degrees of freedom, with a newly added roll axis designed to improve multi-finger coordination and grasping performance.
Another key feature is the hand's drive system.
All 22 motors support direct drive, backdriving and dual-encoder control. Backdrivability allows the hand to respond more naturally when external forces are applied, which is particularly important for physical interaction between robots and objects or people.
Unitree has also equipped each joint with protection against extreme impact torque. The company says the mechanism is designed to protect internal gears when the joints encounter strong external forces.
The Dex5-S can handle a maximum payload of 2 kilograms, while its continuous operating payload is rated at 1 kilogram.
The system also supports a wide 15V to 65V input range and offers Gigabit Ethernet, USB and high-speed RS-485 communication interfaces. With a Gigabit Ethernet configuration, the control frequency can reach up to 1,000Hz.
A palm-mounted camera can also connect directly to the hand, reducing the need for external cabling and potentially simplifying integration into larger robotic systems.
Unitree is offering both the standard Dex5-S and a Pro version.
The standard model provides basic position, torque and IMU feedback, while the Pro model adds tactile sensing. The additional tactile capability is intended for more advanced physical AI research and tactile manipulation algorithms.
Demonstrations released with the product showed the robotic hand performing a range of manipulation tasks, including handling a spoon, cutting paper with scissors, interacting with cans and manipulating a Rubik's Cube. The demonstrations focused on fine manipulation, multi-finger coordination and dynamic grasping.
The RMB 39,900 starting price is also significant because Unitree is selling the dexterous hand as a standalone product rather than simply packaging it as a component of a complete humanoid robot.
That could make the hardware more accessible to universities, robotics laboratories, developers and companies working on embodied AI.
Researchers do not necessarily need to purchase a complete humanoid robot to experiment with robotic manipulation. A standalone dexterous hand can be used for research into grasping, imitation learning, reinforcement learning, teleoperation and tactile sensing.
The development of dexterous hands is particularly important as humanoid robotics moves from demonstrations toward practical applications.
Humanoid robots may be capable of walking and navigating environments, but many real-world tasks ultimately depend on their ability to manipulate objects. Picking up a cup, opening a container, using a tool or assembling a component all require precise control of the hand and fingers.
For that reason, degrees of freedom are only one part of the equation. Payload, tactile feedback, control frequency, durability and the ability to operate reliably in real-world environments will also determine how useful a robotic hand becomes.
Unitree previously introduced the Dex5 with 20 degrees of freedom. The new Dex5-S increases that number to 22 while adding a new little-finger roll axis and other structural and control improvements.
The launch therefore represents another step toward making high-degree-of-freedom robotic hands more standardized and commercially accessible.
However, the long-term value of the Dex5-S will ultimately depend on how developers use it outside controlled demonstrations. Increasing dexterity is only the beginning; enabling robots to reliably perform complicated tasks in unpredictable environments remains one of the central challenges for embodied AI.
With products such as the Dex5-S entering the market as standalone hardware, the “hands” of humanoid robots are increasingly moving from laboratory prototypes toward modular, commercially available components.
At RMB 39,900, Unitree's new dexterous hand provides another indication that advanced robotic manipulation hardware is gradually becoming a product category of its own.
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