Atlas Gets a 13-DoF Four-Finger Hand — Still No Price, Still Not for Sale
On October 1, Boston Dynamics published details of a new generation of hands for Atlas. The numbers from the company’s own post: 13 degrees of freedom, up from 7 in the previous hand (internally GR2 → GR3); four fingers instead of five; a four-DoF opposable thumb; three DoF on each remaining finger so they can splay; direct actuation with a single actuator type; and dense pressure-tactile sensing across the fingertips and palm.
The pinky was cut on purpose
The team says it debated a fifth finger and decided against it: three more degrees of freedom would add size, power draw and parts that can break. According to the post, the CTO had engineers tape their pinky and ring finger together for a day, and they concluded they could live without it. That is a manufacturing argument as much as an engineering one — fewer actuators per hand is fewer things to buy, assemble and repair at volume.
The hand is aimed at tool work: triggered grasps on drills, torque drivers, grinders and nail guns, plus in-hand reorientation.
What it means for price
Nothing yet. Atlas has no public MSRP, and our index lists it as not-for-sale. Analyst estimates of roughly $130k–320k are estimates, not offers. The 2026 production run is already contracted to Hyundai and Google DeepMind, and Boston Dynamics describes the new hand as designed “in its trajectory to mass manufacturing” — a statement of intent, not a cost figure.
Our read: a simpler hand is the right direction for any eventual price cut, since a dexterous hand is one of the most expensive subassemblies in a humanoid. But until Boston Dynamics quotes a number, the practical way to price this class of machine is to look at shipping alternatives; see how much a humanoid robot costs and our humanoids-for-sale list.
Sources
Primary sources referenced in this article. Prices in the tables come from the live index and carry their own as-of dates.
- Boston Dynamics — Robot Hands for Modern AI and Real Work (Oct 1, 2026) (bostondynamics.com)
- Boston Dynamics — Atlas product page (bostondynamics.com)