Meet Mimic Hand M1!
English translation from Unibot. Source published 2026-07-21.
Mimic Hand M1 is a Swiss robotic hand for industrial automation. It weighs only 1.8 kg, but combines the dexterity of a human hand with tangible effort.
Price: $18,000. And this is not a laboratory toy, but a tool for real production. On the Humanoid Guide scale, the hand received a score of 7 - a mature and capable level. Degrees of freedom were rated 4 out of 5, strength - 3 out of 5.
Cable drive and sensors
Mimic Robotics says: M1 is a cable-actuated device with five fingers, built-in touch and force sensors, and a wrist-mounted camera. It gives the control system visual context during manipulation.
The hand lifts loads of more than 25 kg - and at the same time feels a touch weighing 50 g. A rare balance between tenderness and power, right?
The designers were guided by the most useful movements of the human hand. Grabbing, pinching, working with different objects is a natural form, convenient for AI-controlled tasks. Durable metal alloys and high-performance cables ensure durability. And the drives are located in the forearm - this preserves the compactness of the fingers and makes the mechanism effective for daily use.
Sensor architecture and forces
The key feature of the M1 is its sensor and force transmission architecture. Mimic uses a bi-directional cable drive with guide rollers. Drives - in the forearm. This keeps the hand compact, but the mechanism remains strong and easily reversible.
The force is estimated from the motor current with very high accuracy. And fingertip sensors add local perception of contact - when an object begins to move or settle in the grip.
The camera on the wrist completes the picture: the controller sees the scene up close. Visual and physical feedback work together. In practice, this makes the hand suitable for industrial tasks where both careful handling and reliable support of the load are required. Especially when one gripper has to handle different types of objects in long work cycles.
Serial production from Switzerland
M1 is listed as a production product. It is produced by Mimic Robotics from Switzerland. This is not a concept, but a component ready to be implemented. And that's important in a market where many robotic arms remain research tools - with impressive demonstrations but little production readiness.
Focusing on durable alloys, cable efficiency and rich sensors - this is how Mimic advances dexterous manipulation towards reliable industrial operation. The broader meaning of this hand is an attempt to combine power, touch and the human form in one system. Developers can link it with modern AI processes, including training from videos and live demonstrations.
For manufacturers eyeing more flexible robot cells, the M1 is a mature option. Designed for daily work, and not for rare demonstration performances.