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The Robot Report · October 2, 2026 · On the brief until October 16, 2026

Boston Dynamics drops pinkie on new humanoid hand

RoboticsMechanical Engineering
THE AI ANGLE
Training manipulation policies through sim-to-real reinforcement learning

Boston Dynamics introduced a four-fingered hand with 13 degrees of freedom for the Atlas humanoid robot. The design removes the pinky finger to reduce actuator weight, power consumption, and physical complexity. It shifts robotic end-effector design toward sim-to-real reinforcement learning rather than five-finger human imitation.

Summary written by AI Business Lens with an AI model from the article at therobotreport.com. It is not the article, and the publisher has not reviewed it. For publishers.

THE TEACHING ANGLE
Engineers can debate whether humanoid hands should copy human anatomy or drop digits to balance mechanical complexity and control.

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