NEO unveils an impressive humanoid hand with 25 degrees of freedom

Signals Inbox·July 9, 2026·Humanoid Robotics

1X just showed NEO using 25-degree-of-freedom, tendon-driven hands to manipulate fragile objects with unusually human-like speed and precision. One of humanoid robotics’ hardest hardware problems may be moving much faster than expected.

Q1What actually happened?

1X CEO Bernt Børnich officially introduced a new version of NEO’s hands with 25 degrees of freedom and tendon-driven actuation. The demo shows the humanoid moving individual fingers quickly, making precise gestures, handling fragile objects and screwing in a lightbulb without crushing or dropping it.

Q2Why did this demo impress people so much?

Because robot hands usually still look robotic. They move slowly, use stiff grips or succeed only under perfect conditions. NEO’s fingers look light, fast and unusually fluid. The lightbulb task combines alignment, fingertip control, rotation, grip pressure and recovery. It makes the hardware feel closer to a real hand than another laboratory gripper.

Q3What does 25 degrees of freedom mean?

A degree of freedom is basically one independent direction a joint can move. A human hand is commonly described as having around 27. NEO now has 25, up from the 22-degree-of-freedom hands 1X was manufacturing earlier in 2026. The number alone does not prove human dexterity, but it gives the fingers much more freedom to shape themselves around tools and objects.

Q4What makes the tendon design different?

Instead of placing bulky motors inside every finger joint, 1X routes force through tendons connected to motors farther up the hand and forearm. That is closer to how human muscles pull our fingers. It can make the fingers lighter, faster and more compliant, although tendons also create difficult problems around friction, stretching, control and long-term reliability.

Q5Is 1X the first company to build tendon-driven robot hands?

No. Researchers and robotics companies have experimented with tendon-driven hands for years. Shadow Robot, Tesla, academic labs and several prosthetics teams have all explored similar ideas. What feels new is the combination of near-human movement, a full humanoid body, consumer ambitions and a hand already being built on a dedicated production line rather than remaining a one-off research prototype.

Q6How does NEO compare with other humanoids?

Tesla and Figure are also racing to build dexterous five-finger hands, but most public humanoid demos still focus on boxes, factory parts or carefully rehearsed household tasks. NEO’s latest video puts the fingers themselves under the spotlight. With 25 degrees of freedom, it is now extremely close to the commonly cited 27 of a human hand.

Q7Does the video prove the robot can do this autonomously?

Not necessarily. 1X has previously said that some demonstrations were machine-controlled while others were operated to show the hardware’s upper limit. NEO also uses a remote Expert Mode for difficult tasks. So this is strongest as a hardware breakthrough. It proves what the hand can physically do, not that the robot can independently perform every task shown.

Q8So why does this matter now?

Humanoids only make sense if they can use the objects, tools and environments already designed for human hands. Walking gets attention, but useful work happens at the fingertips. The real test now is whether 1X can combine this dexterity with autonomy, durability and mass production. A beautiful hand demo is impressive. Thousands of reliable hands working every day would change the market.