Small motors, transmissions, and touch feedback let hands grasp delicate objects. Packaging many controlled movements into a small space is the challenge.
An illustrative cable-driven finger combines a motor, pulleys, hinged links and contact feedback. Real hands use several different actuation architectures.
In this tendon-driven design, a small motor pulls cables to move the finger. Sensors provide contact feedback.
Illustrative tendon-driven finger concept. Designs differ by manufacturer; the model is not an OEM bill of materials.
What to look for: Twin tendons beside the pulleys, articulated links, and the fingertip contact pads.
Dexterous-hand developers, gripper manufacturers, small-motor suppliers, and sensing companies occupy different layers. An industrial gripper is not automatically a five-finger humanoid hand.
Are tendon suppliers verified?
No direct tendon-cable supplier is established in this universe. The illustration explains a tendon-driven mechanism; it is not a procurement list or a claim about every humanoid hand.
ROBOTIS offers dexterous hands and smart actuators. MOONS’ addresses miniature motors; Novanta and TE add force feedback. These are complementary parts of the hand supply chain.
Open each company below for its source and limitations. Sector membership does not establish a confirmed supply contract.
Inside the assembly
Miniature motor & drive
A compact motor and drive apply tension through the transmission. Position or force control additionally depends on feedback and the hand’s mechanical design.
Stock-link scope: Miniature motors or integrated hands, plus hand motor-control electronics. Chip suppliers do not manufacture the mechanical finger.
Tendons transmit tension: they pull, rather than push. Opposing tendons can drive both directions. Routing, anchoring and tension control are simplified here.
Stock-link scope: No tendon-cable supplier was verified. The illustrated tendon is one architecture; documented geared hands do not establish tendon supply.
No verified direct company match in the current universe.
Phalanges & articulated joints
Finger links pivot around hinge pins. Grasp shape depends on joint coupling, actuation and control; articulated links alone do not provide adaptive grasping.
Stock-link scope: Complete dexterous hands and integrated miniature drives. Wonik Holdings provides exposure through its robotics subsidiary, rather than a pure-play listed hand maker.
Feedback helps the controller limit grip force. Listed suppliers offer relevant force-sensing or signal-chain technology, not necessarily this fingertip design.
Stock-link scope: Tactile/contact-force sensors and supporting measurement electronics. Joint angle encoders and wrist torque sensors are different from fingertip touch.
The humanoid application portfolio covers power, motor control, and sensing. Hand relevance is control electronics rather than mechanical finger manufacture.
The 2025 annual report describes coreless motors, precision gearboxes, roller screws, frameless torque motors and dexterous-hand components through subsidiaries. This supersedes the robot-vacuum-only source.
Keli reports its six-axis force sensors at the wrists of Botler humanoids in Zeekr factory testing. Wrist feedback is not the same as fingertip tactile skin.
Leadshine markets humanoid motors, joint modules, and complete dexterous hands. Documented hand designs use geared or screw transmissions, not the model’s tendon.
Humanoid reference designs cover motor drives, BMS, sensing, controllers, and multi-axis hand control. TI supplies chips, not complete mechanical hands.
