Tesla vs Figure: Why Robot Hands Are So Hard to Build

Watch the full Scott Walter interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbwM0t1oJQI Episode notes and transcript: https://corematter.substack.com/p/humanoid-robot-hand-design-tradeoffs Why is routing tendons through a robot’s wrist so difficult? Scott Walter explains the engineering tradeoffs behind tendon-driven hands and motors with mechanical links, with Tesla and Figure as examples discussed in the interview. This excerpt comes from a conversation recorded in August 2026. References to recent announcements and hand designs reflect that recording date. Scott explains the difficulties on both sides; this is not a declaration that one design has won. Guest: Scott Walter, PhD, Robotics Research Diligence Director, RoboStrategy, Inc. Host: Michelle Sun, Core Matter Subscribe for engineering conversations about robot hardware and real-world deployment. 00:00 Why the wrist makes robot hands difficult 00:26 Two approaches to hand design 01:03 Figure’s design change, discussed in August 2026 01:29 Tendon routing and Bowden tubes 02:45 Closing and opening a hand 03:10 Motors in the palm and mechanical links 04:02 Both approaches have engineering challenges