RH5MK1
15 000 USD
Inspire Robotics
A 22-DOF, fully direct-drive dexterous hand from Inspire Robots with full-hand tactile sensing (palm, finger undersides, between fingers) and 0.005N fingertip force resolution, unveiled at IROS 2026.
Hand Score
9
Specifications and details:
| Availability | In production |
|---|---|
| Degrees of freedom, hands | 22 |
| Strength [kg] | 35 |
| Weight [kg] | 0.9 |
| Size | 85 × 180 mm |
| Number of fingers | 5 |
| Tactile/Force Sensors | Yes — full-area tactile: palm, finger undersides, between fingers, plus 6D fingertip tactile sensing at 0.005N force resolution |
| Motor tech | Fully direct-drive actuation (no tendons) |
| Main structural material | N/A |
| Manufacturer | Inspire Robotics |
| Nationality | China |
| Website | https://en.inspire-robots.com/ |
Description
Inspire Robots, a Chinese robotics company known for dexterous manipulation systems, unveiled the RH5MK1 hand at IROS 2026. Unlike its tendon-driven siblings, this hand uses fully direct-drive actuation across 22 degrees of freedom. Because of this, it moves with the natural motion of a real human hand. Tactile sensors cover the palm, the undersides of the fingers, and even the gaps between them. So the hand senses contact across nearly its whole surface. This goes well beyond fingertip-only sensing, which is still common on many dexterous hands today. As a result, the RH5MK1 can read how an object sits against it, not just where it first makes contact.
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Each fingertip also carries 6D tactile sensing, with a force resolution down to 0.005N. This lets the hand register the lightest touch. Its thumb rotates 90 degrees and swings sideways through 120 degrees, giving it a wide range of grip shapes. Inspire built the joints in-house for added strength, aiming for a hand that keeps working reliably over long runs. The company frames this directly around dependability: fewer failures, and nothing lost mid-task. A low back-drive torque of just 0.05 N·m also makes the hand compliant. It can absorb small bumps and contacts safely. Overall, the RH5MK1 pairs dense, full-hand tactile sensing with a sturdier, direct-drive build aimed at long-term reliability.
Download the Humanoid Robot Market Report here
Website: inspire-robots.com
