Amazing robot hands from Kyper Labs

Amazing robot hands from Kyper Labs

From TechFirst with John Koetsier by John Koetsier

April 1, 2026 · 34 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges of creating effective robotic hands with Kyber Labs co-founders.

What if the hardest part of building a humanoid robot isn’t the brain but the hands? Robot hands are half the complexity of a robot, a humanoid robot CEO told me a while back: they're insanely difficult to get right.In this episode of TechFirst, I talk with Kyber Labs co-founders Tyler Habowski and Yonatan Robbins about why dexterity, maybe even more than AI, is the true bottleneck in robotics.Some of the quotes:- “There are literally zero robot hands deployed right now doing routine work.”- “The best hands are hundreds of thousands of dollars, and they break all the time …”Before the interview, you’ll see an exclusive demo of their next-generation robotic hand in action showing just how far manipulation technology has come.We dig into:• Why humans rely on force, not precision, to manipulate objects• The surprising flaw in most robotic hands today• How Kyber’s “torque-transparent” design works without expensive sensors• Why hardware—not software—is still the limiting factor• A practical path to real-world automation (without sci-fi hype)This isn’t about futuristic humanoids doing everything. It’s about solving real problems today ... from lab automation to manufacturing ... by…

People in this episode

Guests: Tyler Habowski, Yonatan Robbins

Topics covered

  • robotics
  • humanoid robots
  • dexterity
  • automation

Keywords

  • robot hands
  • manipulation technology
  • torque-transparent design

Mentioned in this episode

Products: next-generation robotic hand

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