Unitree Tendon-Driven Dexterous Hand

Sooner or later, every robot hand meets a table edge at the wrong speed. In a laboratory where a humanoid learns by trial and error, a hand is closed and opened thousands of times a day, knocked against fixtures and now and then dropped outright. The Unitree Tendon-Driven Dexterous Hand is built for that working life. The complete hand has passed over 100000 fatigue cycles and has completed over 100 drop tests. It weighs 365g. Its five fingers are moved by a gear-tendon rope drive that turns two actuated degrees of freedom into ten jointed ones, which gives a humanoid a practical, human-shaped grasp without a motor at every knuckle.

Robots Middle East supplies the Unitree Tendon-Driven Dexterous Hand to universities, research centres, system integrators and corporate innovation teams across the Middle East. Our team prepares each quotation, coordinates delivery to your site and remains your point of contact for technical support once the hand is in service on your robot.

Background

Unitree Robotics and its humanoid platforms

Unitree Robotics made its name with agile quadruped robots before moving into humanoids. Its machines are now a familiar sight in university laboratories, research institutes and technology showcases. As the company's humanoid platforms have matured, attention has shifted from how a robot walks to what it can do with its hands. Unitree has answered with a family of end-effectors, ranging from three-finger force-controlled hands to multi-finger tactile designs, which can be browsed together in the Unitree Hands category. The Tendon-Driven Dexterous Hand belongs to this family and is compatible with the G1/R1 models.

Underactuation through a gear-tendon rope drive

The defining feature of this hand is its transmission. Rather than driving each joint independently, it uses a gear-tendon rope drive. One actuated degree of freedom serves the thumb, and a second is shared by the index, middle, ring and little fingers. When the drive pulls, the joints of each finger bend in a coordinated sequence, which is the principle of an underactuated hand. The approach trades individual finger control for simplicity, low mass and a compact package. It suits the broad family of power and wrap grasps that make up much of everyday handling. The hand also reports joint position, velocity, torque and temperature over a 1000Hz RS485 link, so it can be integrated into closed-loop control rather than used as a simple open-and-close gripper.

Technical Specifications

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

Unitree has not published the contents of the box, any tactile sensing, the IP rating, the connector type or the details of the software SDK; Robots Middle East confirms each of these with you at quotation.

How does a hand with two actuators offer ten degrees of freedom?

The answer lies in the distinction between joints that move and joints that are driven. The hand has ten degrees of freedom across its five fingers, yet only two of them are actuated. The thumb has its own drive, and the four remaining fingers share a single drive. The gear-tendon rope transmission distributes that motion along each finger, so the joints flex together as the tendon is drawn in.

For the buyer, this has clear consequences. The thumb can be positioned independently of the fingers, so the hand can move between an open approach and a closed wrap. The four fingers move as one group. Individual finger gestures, such as pointing with the index finger alone, are therefore outside what this design sets out to do. In return, the hand closes into a full fist in as little as 0.5 s and grips objects down to a diameter of 8mm. Its mass stays at 365g, which matters at the end of a humanoid arm, where every gram adds to the load on the shoulder and elbow.

What can the Unitree Tendon-Driven Dexterous Hand hold, and how is it controlled?

Grip performance is given in two complementary ways. At the fingertips, the thumb delivers 15N and the four fingers together deliver a total of 15 N. As a holding load, with the palm facing down at room temperature and grasping a 5cm round hard object, the maximum weight is 1.5kg. Together, these figures describe a hand intended for everyday objects such as bottles, tools, cups and packaged goods, rather than heavy industrial parts.

Control is where the hand goes beyond a conventional gripper. Over its RS485 interface at 1000Hz, it accepts commands for joint mode, position, velocity and torque, together with stiffness and damping coefficients. That makes impedance-style control possible: a controller can make the grasp firm for a rigid tool or compliant for a fragile item. The hand reports joint mode, position, velocity, torque and temperature, as well as voltage and current. This gives researchers the data needed for grasp logging, safety monitoring and learning from demonstration. The hand runs on a working voltage of 24V-60V, draws [email protected] at rest and up to [email protected] at its maximum, and operates between -20℃ ~ 60℃.

Who is the Unitree Tendon-Driven Dexterous Hand for?

The most natural buyers are teams that already operate, or plan to acquire, a Unitree G1 or R1 humanoid and wish to replace a simple end-effector with a five-finger hand. For them, compatibility with the G1/R1 models removes much of the uncertainty that usually accompanies end-effector integration.

University laboratories and research institutes working on embodied artificial intelligence, teleoperation and grasp planning form a second group. The low actuator count makes the hand straightforward to model and control, and the rich joint feedback supports data collection for learning-based methods. Teaching programmes benefit from the same qualities. Students can understand the mechanism, and the fatigue and drop-test results suit equipment that is handled frequently.

System integrators and corporate innovation teams evaluating humanoids for service, retail or logistics demonstrations form a third group. For them, a lightweight and robust hand is often more valuable than the finest finger control.

Some projects call for something different. Teams whose research depends on touch sensing, or on more finely articulated fingers, may prefer to compare tactile models such as the Unitree Dex5-S Pro 22-DOF Tactile Dexterous Hand. For the G1, the Unitree G1 Dex3-1 Force-Controlled 3-Finger Tactile Dexterous Hand is another option. Further end-effectors and add-ons are listed under Humanoid Accessories.

What is the Unitree Tendon-Driven Dexterous Hand used for?

1. Teleoperation data collection: recording joint position, velocity and torque as operators guide a humanoid through grasping tasks.
2. Embodied AI research: training and testing grasp policies on a hand with a compact, well-defined action space.
3. Everyday object handling: picking up and holding cups, bottles, tools and boxes in service and laboratory scenarios.
4. Compliant manipulation studies: using stiffness and damping commands to explore firm versus gentle grasps.
5. Teaching and training: demonstrating underactuated, tendon-driven mechanics to engineering and robotics students.
6. Humanoid demonstrations: giving G1 and R1 robots a human-like hand for exhibitions, visitor centres and innovation showcases.

Pricing and Availability

Robots Middle East supplies the Unitree Tendon-Driven Dexterous Hand on a quotation basis, so that the offer reflects your host robot, your intended application and any accompanying equipment. Delivery, customs and support are arranged together with your quotation. Tell us which robot the hand will be fitted to and what you intend to achieve, and our team will prepare an offer to match. The quotation request form is available on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which robots is the hand compatible with?

The Unitree Tendon-Driven Dexterous Hand is compatible with the Unitree G1/R1 models.

Can each finger move independently?

No. The thumb has its own actuated degree of freedom, and the index, middle, ring and little fingers share one. The hand has ten degrees of freedom in total, of which two are actuated.

How much weight can the hand hold?

With the palm facing down at room temperature and grasping a 5cm round hard object, the maximum weight is 1.5kg. The fingertip strength is 15N for the thumb and a total of 15 N for the four fingers.

Does the hand have tactile sensors?

Tactile sensing is among the open points listed under the specification table. The hand reports joint torque, position, velocity, temperature, voltage and current, and teams that need touch sensing can compare the tactile models in the Unitree Hands range.

How does the hand communicate with the robot?

It uses an RS485 communication interface at a rate of 1000Hz.

How durable is the hand?

The entire hand has passed over 100000 fatigue cycles and has completed over 100 drop tests. Its working temperature range is -20℃ ~ 60℃.

Where can I buy the Unitree Tendon-Driven Dexterous Hand and what does it cost?

You can buy it from Robots Middle East, which supplies customers across the Middle East. The cost depends on your configuration and is set out in a personal quotation, which you can request on this page.

Summary

A hand on a learning humanoid has to survive being used, not merely look capable. The Unitree Tendon-Driven Dexterous Hand meets that demand with a deliberately economical design. A gear-tendon rope drive moves ten joints from two actuators, the hand weighs 365g and clenches a fist in 0.5 s, and its endurance results are over 100000 fatigue cycles and over 100 drop tests. What it gives up in individual finger control, it returns in simplicity, robustness and rich joint feedback over a 1000Hz RS485 link. This page is the starting point for G1 and R1 owners, research laboratories and integrators who want their humanoid to grasp real objects day after day, with Robots Middle East handling the quotation, delivery and support.