From Micro-Drives to Dexterous Hands: ZWHAND’s Next Step Toward Embodied Intelligence

What sets humanoid robots apart from traditional industrial robots is their ability to perform human-like operations, with the “dexterous hand” serving as the key terminal for precise multi-task manipulation. In China, technical approaches to dexterous hands are diverse, with leading players including INSPIRE-ROBOTS,  Paxini Tech,  DexRobot,  ROBOTERA,  LeadShine, Unitree Robotics, and ZWHAND. Leveraging its deep expertise in miniature motors, precision gear systems, and control technology, ZWHAND has successfully extended its core competencies to complete dexterous hand systems, creating a comprehensive solution from core components to end systems.

Technology Evolution: Higher Degrees of Freedom and Integrated Drives

Current mainstream dexterous hand products show clear trends: continuous improvement in degrees of freedom, motor-driven architectures as the primary solution, and ongoing expansion of multimodal sensing. Transmission methods are generally classified into three types:

• Tendon-driven: space-saving and offering high degrees of freedom, but with weaker stiffness.
• Gear-driven: high precision and rigidity, but relatively bulky.
• Linkage-driven: well-balanced performance with simple structure.

ZWHAND adopts an integrated “gearbox + motor + encoder” transmission solution, leveraging its strengths in micro-drive systems to enable dexterous hands that achieve both higher degrees of freedom and stronger responsiveness.

Miniature Motors: The Power Core for Precision Control

Motors for dexterous hands must combine compact size, high torque density, and fast response, while also meeting higher standards for durability and stability. Most mainstream solutions currently use coreless or brushless slot motors. The global coreless motor market is dominated by European leaders, but Chinese manufacturers are rapidly advancing, with ZWHAND standing out as a technological leader. Its product range now spans diameters of 4–12 mm and has been successfully deployed in humanoid robots, surgical-assist robots, and medical devices—applications that demand extreme precision and power density.

From Core Components to Complete Systems: Official Launch of the Dexterous Hand

Building on years of component-level R&D, ZWHAND achieved a breakthrough in complete dexterous hand systems. On November 14, 2024, at the China Hi-Tech Fair in Shenzhen, ZWHAND officially released its first high-reliability dexterous hand with 17 active degrees of freedom and independently driven fingers. This dexterous hand integrates ZWHAND’s self-developed motors, reducers, controllers, and other key components, offering the following features:

• High-DOF Design: The hand features ≥17 active DOF, with no fewer than 3 DOF per finger, supporting precise coordinated actions.

• High-Reliability Drive Modules: Equipped with high power-density geared motor modules, validated for a 10-year equivalent service life, suitable for industrial-grade high-frequency applications.

• Strong System Integration: All core components are self-developed, supporting customer-specific customization and vertical application integration.

This marks ZWHAND’s evolution beyond being a supplier of miniature motors and drive modules, as it now advances toward becoming a provider of humanoid robot end-effector systems through its platform product, the dexterous hand.

Market Outlook: Drive Architecture Upgrades Fueling Core Component Growth

As humanoid robots move into mass production, the penetration rate of dexterous hands will rise rapidly. By 2030, global demand for humanoid robots is expected to reach 1.16 million units, requiring about 13.93 million sets of coreless motors, representing a market size of approximately RMB 8.9 billion. To meet this demand, ZWHAND has developed high-performance reducers and high-efficiency, high power-density motors specifically for dexterous hand applications. Overall performance matches or surpasses that of Swiss Maxon and German Faulhaber products. With mature production capabilities for high-performance reducers, brushless motors, and micro brushless motor controllers, ZWHAND can efficiently deliver high-quality customized solutions, ensuring both product quality and scalable mass production.

From Component Specialist to Embodied Intelligence Innovator

The complexity of dexterous hands demands higher standards for motor performance, transmission accuracy, and system integration. From core components to complete solutions, ZWHAND is leveraging its long-standing expertise in micro-drive systems, gear manufacturing, and control systems to extend into humanoid robot end products. Looking ahead, ZWHAND will continue advancing in areas such as electronic skin and cerebellum-inspired self-learning, further driving the integration of intelligent robotics with real-world applications.