Nvidia's New Robot System Relies on Chinese-Made Hands
Two Chinese startups provide the critical hand components for Nvidia's latest humanoid training platforms, set for release in 2027.
By Ivan Dvorak ·
Nvidia has introduced a new humanoid robot hardware system called Agile One SN that depends on mechanical hands manufactured in China. The system was revealed in Berlin on October 21, with a Wuji Hand 2 displayed on a slide behind CEO Jensen Huang. Huang described the hardware as a flywheel to accelerate robotics development. The robot body is built by Agile Robots, a company with offices in Germany, China, and the United States.
The Agile One SN system utilizes Nvidia's Isaac robotics software and Jetson Thor computing platform. Nvidia states that research institutions, including Stanford University and ETH Zurich, can begin using the system in early 2027. This follows a previous reference humanoid design announced by Nvidia on May 31. That earlier model features a body from Chinese humanoid maker Unitree and hands from Sharpa. Deliveries for that first system were scheduled to begin in late 2026.
Nvidia did not immediately confirm if deliveries for the May 31 system had started or if researchers would test both reference robots. The company has showcased two distinct training packages in recent months. The first uses hands from Sharpa, and the second uses hands from Wuji. Both component makers have roots in Shanghai, despite operating from different locations now.
Pan Yunzhe founded Wuji in 2019 and later moved much of the team to Shenzhen. Investors include Ant Group, HSG, and Future Capital. A demo video released last week showed the Wuji Hand 2 spinning a pen autonomously while facing interference. Sharpa, headquartered in Singapore, was co-founded by David Li, CEO of Shanghai-based lidar firm Hesai. Sharpa has stated that its manufacturing and research development teams are located in Shanghai.
Industry experts are closely monitoring the performance of these Chinese components. Keerthana Gopalakrishnan, research lead at Google DeepMind, compared the two startups on a podcast last month. She noted that Sharpa Wave is stronger, while the Wuji hand is closer in size to a human hand but has the strength of a ten-year-old. It was unclear if she was testing the latest Wuji Hand 2 or an earlier version.
Zhu Mingxuan, a humanoid startup founder who previously worked at U.S. firm Figure, evaluated both hands in September. She found Wuji's hands to be light and effective for tasks but prone to heating up. She said Sharpa's hands performed better but were significantly more expensive. Zhu emphasized that hardware, specifically hands, remains the main challenge limiting humanoid development.
China is pushing its humanoid industry to develop core technologies, with mechanical hands as a key differentiator. Xiaomi reported last week that tests in its car factory showed most tasks required only a specific range of movement. Meta is also working with Chinese startup Fourier on a humanoid prototype, according to a report by The Information on October 31. Neither company immediately responded to requests for comment.
