How Tencent’s TRX‑Hand and TRX‑Arm Achieve Human‑like Dexterous Manipulation

Introducing TRX‑Hand and TRX‑Arm

Tencent Robotics X laboratory announced the first demonstration of its self‑developed dexterous hand TRX‑Hand and high‑performance seven‑degree‑of‑freedom robotic arm TRX‑Arm . The hand features three fingers with eight independently controllable joints, weighs only 1.16 kg, and can exert up to 15 N fingertip force while moving at speeds above 600°/s.

Mechanical Design and Actuation

The hand uses a patented rigid‑soft hybrid drive and a self‑designed high‑power‑density actuator, providing both high agility and high load capacity. Its lightweight structure and fast joint speeds enable rapid grasping, dynamic throwing, and precise manipulation of objects of various shapes and sizes.

Multi‑modal Sensing

TRX‑Hand integrates high‑sensitivity flexible tactile sensor arrays on the fingertips, finger pads, and palm, a miniature LiDAR and proximity sensor on the palm, and angle sensors on each joint. This dense sensing suite allows accurate perception of the hand’s state and the objects it interacts with.

Perception and Control Algorithms

By fusing visual, proximity, tactile, and force data, the system builds a comprehensive model of the environment. Multi‑sensor fusion enables robust object recognition and pose estimation even for transparent, reflective, or occluded items. Real‑time planning algorithms compute optimal arm‑hand configurations and safe trajectories, while adaptive control adjusts motions based on sensor feedback.

Demonstrations and Tasks

The platform performed a series of complex tasks, including cocktail mixing that required over 30 sequential operations such as grasping, pouring, rotating, shaking, and dynamic hand‑hand coordination. It also demonstrated high‑speed object catching, precise insertion of thin, reflective stirrers into narrow holes, and in‑hand manipulation of objects using deep reinforcement learning and sim‑to‑real techniques.

TRX‑Arm Specifications

The TRX‑Arm employs a rope‑driven differential drive that reduces friction and inertia, enabling high‑dynamic motion with a maximum speed of 7.4 m/s, acceleration of 44.5 m/s², and payload capacity over 6 kg. Its forearm houses a 768‑point tactile array refreshed at 1000 Hz, supporting precise real‑time positioning of objects such as bottles during rolling and balancing tasks.

Future Directions

Tencent Robotics X plans to further integrate TRX‑Hand and TRX‑Arm with advanced deep‑learning algorithms to enhance dexterous manipulation and solve more complex real‑world problems, targeting applications in eldercare, home services, and intelligent manufacturing.