China · Elon Musk · Tesla · The Guardian Technology
China wants to solve the hardest problem in robotics, making hands
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Human hands, nimble, nerve-filled appendages that are the most flexible part of the human skeleton, are exceptionally complex.
Key facts
- Last year the dextrous hand industry in China surpassed 50bn yuan ($7.4bn), according to Chinese media, up from 13bn yuan in 2024
- The company now makes about 5,000 hands a month and has plans to double that figure as it chases a valuation of $6bn
- But he listened to the quote from Steve Jobs about the importance of focus (“Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things”) and decided to focus on hands, launching LinkerBot in 2023
- Pan Yunzhe, the founder of Wuji Technology, a Shenzhen-based robotic hands company, says the ease of sourcing components in China is the reason he founded his company there rather than in the US
Summary
But now, as artificial intelligence (AI) races forwards, some companies think they are close to surpassing this final but most difficult hurdle in robotics. A new suite of Chinese start-ups are leveraging China’s advantages in manufacturing and enthusiasm for what the government calls “embodied AI” to build the fully dextrous robotic hands that are needed to transform humanoid robots from dancing gimmicks into useful products. Ever since Unitree’s troupe of dancing humanoids tottered on to the stage at 2025’s Spring Gala, the annual variety show televised at Lunar New Year, China has been going gaga for robots. Technologists and policymakers see robotics as the key to unlocking China’s future economic potential as it grapples with an ageing and shrinking workforce.