China leads dexterous hand supply for humanoids

karetoria via Getty Images

China dominates the supply of robotic hands, accounting for nearly all the high-dexterity hands shipped for humanoids so far this year. But Western companies are starting to gain ground as they scale up humanoid production.

A new report from Smart Analytics Global (SAG) found that Chinese companies accounted for 96% of shipments of dexterous hands with six or more active degrees of freedom (DOF) in the first half of 2026. The Western share is still small (4%), but it has roughly quadrupled since 2025, with Figure AI a key driver, according to SAG.

The report points to a split in strategy. Chinese firms are moving quickly to sell hands as standalone components, while Western producers tend to favor customized or in-house designs.

Linda Sui, founder and principal at SAG, told AI Business the gap partly reflects markets at different stages of maturity.

“China is moving faster to industrialize dexterous hands as a standalone component, supported by a growing number of specialized suppliers and a broader component supply chain,” she said. “This gives humanoid OEMs more choices and can help reduce cost and shorten development cycles.”

China’s market readiness

China's broader manufacturing ecosystem gives its robotics companies access to many of the components needed to develop and produce hands, including motors, reducers, sensors and actuators.

Ben Armstrong, who serves on the executive committee of HAND (human augmentation via dexterity), an NSF Engineering Research Center group, said China's advantage extends beyond the humanoid sector, citing the country's longstanding investment in industrial automation.

The distinction between third-party suppliers and in-house development of robotic hands is not, however, absolute, and Sui said the differences could become less important as the market develops.

Two strategies

George Chowdhury, an analyst at ABI Research, said that comparisons between the markets are somewhat arbitrary.