Boston Dynamics unveils new-generation dexterous hands for the Atlas humanoid robot

Boston Dynamics has released a new generation of dexterous hands for the Atlas humanoid robot, moving from 7 degrees of freedom in the previous generation to 13 degrees of freedom across four fingers, using a single actuator type for direct drive and full encapsulation. The new design is aimed at manipulation rather than simple grasping: a four-DOF opposable thumb supports fingertip sliding, pinching, three-finger grasping, and gripping tools such as drills and welding torches, while the strength still allows it to carry a mini-fridge payload of 100lb+, and it supports high-fidelity simulation for sim-to-real reinforcement learning.