Unitree Dex5-S 22-DOF Biomimetic Dexterous Hand (Coming Soon)

Watch someone carry a heavy bag or swing a hammer, and much of the work is done not by the thumb and index finger but by the two outer fingers, which lock the handle against the palm. Robot hands have long treated the little finger as a passenger: a digit that follows the others with whatever motion is left over. The Unitree Dex5-S 22-DOF Biomimetic Dexterous Hand (Coming Soon) gives it a role of its own, with a new roll axis on the pinky, five degrees of freedom in that finger alone and the same direct-drive, backdrivable actuation as the thumb. Around it sits a hand built at 1:1 human hand scale with 22 DoF per hand, intended for teams who need a robot to hold objects the way people do rather than simply pinch them.

Robots Middle East supplies the Unitree Dex5-S to universities, research institutes and system integrators across the Middle East. As the hand is coming soon, Robots Middle East quotes it on request, agrees the configuration you require, including the choice of interface, and arranges delivery and after-sales support as part of that quotation.

Background

Unitree Robotics and its move into hands

Unitree Robotics built its reputation on agile legged robots before extending its range to full-size humanoids. Once a company sells humanoids, the question of what sits at the end of the arm becomes unavoidable, and Unitree has answered it with a growing family of dexterous hands, which you will find gathered in our Hands category. The Dex5-S belongs to the five-finger branch of that family and is offered in two versions: the Dex5-S described on this page and the Dex5-S Pro, which adds tactile sensing.

Direct drive, dual encoders and a protected gear train

The defining engineering choice in the Dex5-S is its actuation. All 22 motors are direct-drive and backdrivable, each with dual encoders, and the hand is built on precision micro gearboxes. Backdrivability means a finger can be pushed back by an external force rather than resisting it rigidly, which matters for safe contact and for learning methods that rely on physical interaction. Unitree pairs this with an impact protection structure: when a joint motor takes an extreme external impact, the structure shields the gears from damage, and all 22 DoF are protected in this way. The housing is aluminium alloy, and the hand accepts a wide supply voltage range, which simplifies integration with different robot power systems.

Technical Specifications

Specifications are as published by the manufacturer and are confirmed against the datasheet at quotation.

Unitree has not published the fingertip force, the joint torque, the IP rating, the operating temperature range, the contents of the box, the software and SDK support or a list of compatible robots; these points are confirmed at quotation.

What does the Dex5-S Pro add over the Dex5-S?

The difference between the two versions is touch. The Unitree Dex5-S Pro 22-DOF Tactile Dexterous Hand adds tactile sensing to the five-finger, human-scale architecture that both versions share.

That makes the choice a question of what your work depends on. If your controllers close the loop on joint position, encoder data and vision, the Dex5-S gives you the full kinematic and mechanical platform without paying for sensing you will not use. If your research concerns slip detection, contact-rich manipulation or learning from touch, the Pro is the version to discuss. Robots Middle East can quote both side by side so that you can weigh them against each other.

Why does backdrivability matter in a dexterous hand?

A rigid, non-backdrivable finger behaves like a clamp: it holds its position until something gives way, and that something is often the gearbox, the object or the fixture. A backdrivable finger yields when pushed, which lets it settle around an irregular object, absorb an unplanned collision and pass the forces it experiences back to the motor and its encoders. For teams using reinforcement learning or teleoperation, where early attempts are clumsy by nature, this compliance reduces the cost of mistakes.

The Dex5-S combines that compliance with two safeguards. Dual encoders on every motor give the control system more information about each joint, and the impact protection structure is designed to keep the gears intact when a joint takes an extreme external impact. Together they make the hand suited to the repetitive, trial-and-error work that dexterous manipulation research involves.

Who is the Unitree Dex5-S for?

The first audience is academic and corporate research groups working on dexterous manipulation, grasp planning or embodied AI. For them the combination of 22 DoF per hand, a fully actuated pinky with its own roll axis and backdrivable motors offers a hand whose kinematics come close to the human model their datasets and demonstrations are drawn from.

The second audience is humanoid and robot-arm integrators. The wide supply voltage range and the choice of Gigabit Ethernet, USB or high-speed RS-485 allow the hand to be matched to an existing control architecture, and the Gigabit Ethernet configuration lets a palm camera plug straight into the hand without external cabling. Robots Middle East reviews mechanical and electrical fit for your platform as part of the quotation.

Teams whose work centres on touch should look at the Dex5-S Pro, the version that adds tactile sensing. Those building a broader humanoid set-up may also wish to browse our Humanoid Accessories category.

What is the Unitree Dex5-S used for?

1. Dexterous manipulation research: studying in-hand repositioning and multi-finger grasps on a hand with human proportions.
2. Reinforcement learning: training grasping policies on hardware whose backdrivable, protected joints tolerate repeated contact.
3. Teleoperation and imitation learning: mapping a human operator's hand motion onto a robot hand of the same scale.
4. Humanoid integration: fitting a five-finger end effector to a humanoid or bimanual research platform.
5. Vision-guided grasping: using a palm camera connected through the Gigabit Ethernet configuration to guide the approach to an object.
6. Demonstration and teaching: showing students and visitors how biomimetic hands reproduce human grip patterns.

Pricing and Availability

The Unitree Dex5-S is coming soon, and Robots Middle East handles it by quotation, so that the version, interface and any accompanying items are agreed before an order is placed. Delivery, customs clearance and technical support are arranged together with the quotation. If you would like to compare the Dex5-S with the Dex5-S Pro, please mention both in your enquiry. A quotation request for the Unitree Dex5-S is available on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many degrees of freedom does the Unitree Dex5-S have?

The Dex5-S has 22 DoF per hand: five in the thumb, four each in the index, middle and ring fingers, and five in the pinky, which includes a new roll axis.

How much can the Dex5-S hold?

The hand handles up to 2 kg payload per hand and a 1 kg continuous working payload.

Which interfaces does the Dex5-S support?

You can choose Gigabit Ethernet, USB or high-speed RS-485. With the Gigabit Ethernet configuration, the palm camera plugs straight into the hand.

Which version should I choose if I need tactile sensing?

Tactile sensing comes with the Dex5-S Pro. Teams that need touch feedback should request a quotation for the Pro.

What power supply does the hand require?

The Dex5-S accepts a supply voltage of 15V~65V, a wide range that eases integration with different robot power systems.

What is the hand made of and how much does it weigh?

The Dex5-S has an aluminium alloy housing and weighs 620g. Its dimensions are 102*187*26mm.

Where can I buy the Unitree Dex5-S and what does it cost?

You can obtain the Unitree Dex5-S from Robots Middle East, which supplies it across the Middle East. Pricing is provided by individual quotation, which also covers delivery, customs and support.

Summary

The Unitree Dex5-S starts from a simple observation about human hands: a secure grip depends on every finger, including the one robot designers usually neglect. By giving the pinky a roll axis and five degrees of freedom, and by driving all 22 joints with direct-drive, backdrivable motors, dual encoders and protected gears, Unitree has produced a human-scale hand designed to grasp, yield and survive the knocks of research work. Flexible interfaces, a wide supply voltage range and an integrated palm camera option make it practical to integrate, while the Dex5-S Pro remains the route for teams that need tactile sensing. For laboratories and integrators in the Middle East planning their next manipulation platform, this page is the starting point.