CasiaHand Robotics and Fulai New Materials have signed a strategic partnership agreement for 200,000 sets of high-performance tactile sensors to support mass production of 40,000 industry-grade dexterous hands. Production capacity is targeted to reach nearly 30,000 units by end-2026 and exceed 100,000 units by late 2027, marking the dexterous robot hand industry's entry into the era of scaled delivery.
Partnership Signed: Upstream-Downstream Integration Across the Industry Chain
On August 14, 2026, CasiaHand Robotics and Fulai New Materials (stock code: 605488) officially signed a strategic partnership agreement. Under the deal, CasiaHand will purchase 200,000 sets of high-performance tactile sensors to support the mass production of 40,000 industry-grade dexterous hands. This collaboration marks the first deep integration across the dexterous robot hand industry chain, laying a critical foundation for scaled industry delivery.
The two partners bring complementary strengths:
- Fulai New Materials — deep expertise in flexible sensing materials and manufacturing
- CasiaHand — focused on human-like manipulation and embodied AI with complete dexterous hand R&D capabilities
Together, they aim to enhance the hands' perception of pressure and contact, enabling them to navigate complex, real-world environments.
Production Planning: The Leap from Laboratory to Industrial Line
According to the roadmap, CasiaHand's capacity buildout proceeds in stages:
- End of 2026 — achieve stable annual production capacity of nearly 30,000 units
- End of 2027 — capacity exceeds 100,000 units
- Long-term goal — establish a full-scale delivery system covering industrial, service, and specialized sectors
| Milestone | Target Capacity | Application Scenarios |
|---|---|---|
| End of 2026 | Nearly 30,000 units/year | Industrial sorting, precision assembly |
| End of 2027 | Over 100,000 units/year | Industrial + service + special operations |
| Medium to long term | Full-scale delivery system | Cross-industry penetration |
This production plan is remarkably aggressive by industry standards. The global dexterous hand market has long been stuck in a "small-batch customization" phase, with annual shipments measured in thousands. CasiaHand's target would elevate this figure directly to the hundred-thousand scale, fundamentally rewriting the industry landscape.
Technical Foundation: The Research Gene of the CAS "National Team"
CasiaHand is no ordinary startup. Behind it stands the "national team" of Chinese embodied intelligence — the National Key Laboratory of Multimodal Artificial Intelligence Systems at the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). CasiaHand is the first commercialization entity approved by the institute under a new operational model.
The company focuses on full-stack R&D for robotic "upper limb" dexterity, covering:
- Dexterous hand mechanical structure design and manufacturing
- Embodied AI model training and deployment
- Tactile perception and force control algorithms
- Scenario-based application solutions
This "national laboratory + commercial company" industry-university-research model gives CasiaHand both cutting-edge technical reserves and the execution capability for industrial deployment.
Application Prospects: Full-Scene Coverage from Industry to Service
This collaboration is expected to accelerate the rollout of CasiaHand's dexterous hand series across the following domains:
- Industrial sorting — precision gripping and assembly of 3C electronics and automotive parts
- Home services — flexible interaction assisting elderly care and household tasks
- Specialized operations — remote manipulation, bomb disposal, and maintenance in hazardous environments
The core breakthrough of dexterous hands lies in achieving fine manipulation capabilities approaching those of human hands — not only grasping objects of different shapes and materials but also adjusting grip force in real-time based on tactile feedback to avoid damaging fragile items. This capability has revolutionary significance in industrial automation and service robotics.
For industrial buyers and automation integrators in Central Asia, Russia, and global emerging markets, the maturation of China's dexterous hand industry chain will bring cost-effective robotic end-effector solutions, significantly lowering the barrier to automation upgrades. More supply chain insights available at EX1000.COM.
