Tsinghua-Backed Startup Secures Fresh Funding for Dexterous Robot Hands That Can Operate Smartphones
Dexcel Robotics has completed a multi-million yuan Angel++ funding round led by Honghuai Fund and Primavera Capital Group, marking its fourth financing round in 2025 as investors bet heavily on the emerging dexterous robot hand sector. The startup, which develops sophisticated robotic hands capable of operating smartphones and performing complex manipulations, has now raised nearly 100 million yuan ($14 million) cumulatively as demand for advanced robotic appendages accelerates.
The latest funding comes less than a month after Apex Robotics closed its Angel+ round in August, led by QianCheng Capital with participation from Xunshang Venture Capital and existing investor Kunzhong Capital. The company plans to use the new capital for mass production scaling, research and development, and team expansion.
Industry analysts expect annual shipments of dexterous robot hands to approach 10,000 units as humanoid robot manufacturers rush toward commercialization. More than 20 Chinese companies have launched dexterous hand products, with startups continuously emerging as the sector attracts significant venture capital investment.
The rapid-fire funding rounds underscore venture capital enthusiasm for robotic manipulation technology, which represents one of the highest-value and most technically challenging components in humanoid robotics development.
"Hexagonal Warrior" Design Targets Six Core Capabilities
Dexcel Robotics unveiled its flagship Apex Hand product in August, positioning it as a "hexagonal warrior" that balances six critical performance dimensions rather than optimizing for single metrics. The five-finger dexterous hand features 21 degrees of freedom with 16 active joints, enabling it to replicate 33 human grasping patterns.
Demonstration videos show the device achieving sub-0.1mm positioning accuracy with near-zero backlash transmission, supporting stable grasping of smooth objects in confined spaces. The hand operates at 1kHz control frequency with response speeds approaching human performance, including real-time pen-catching capabilities.
Load capacity reaches 2.5kg per fingertip with overall vertical lifting force approaching 30kg. The device incorporates proprietary electronic skin with multi-dimensional sensing capabilities including pressure and shear force detection at refresh rates exceeding 1,000Hz.
Chief Executive Officer Yang Sicheng emphasized that the product prioritizes balanced engineering completeness over peak single-parameter performance. "Rather than pursuing extreme values in individual capabilities, we focused on creating a system that performs reliably across all six core dimensions," Yang said.
The device represents the first dexterous hand capable of single-handed smartphone operation while achieving perfect scores on Kapandji dexterity tests, according to the company.
Reliability Emerges as Primary Commercial Barrier
Market adoption faces significant obstacles as existing dexterous hands struggle with durability in real-world applications. Industry engineers frequently report that while paper specifications appear impressive, many products fail after approximately one week of continuous operation.
"Compared to degrees of freedom and other individual performance metrics, robustness is an indispensable requirement for practical deployment," Yang noted. The company addresses reliability through cable-driven architecture that mimics human tendon structures, providing natural compliance for impact absorption.
The Apex Hand supports force control with unlocked joints across all axes, enabling active force relief during collisions. Soft proprietary skin covering provides additional impact protection compared to traditional rigid-shell designs.
Following product demonstrations, over 100 domestic and international clients across research, automation, data collection, and humanoid manufacturing sectors have expressed purchasing interest, according to company disclosures.
Tencent Alumni Target Manufacturing Scale-Up
Apex Robotics was founded in December 2024 by former Tencent Robotics X Laboratory researchers Yang Sicheng and Li Wangwei. Yang, who holds degrees from Beihang University and Tsinghua University, joined Tencent's robotics division in 2018 as a senior researcher among the lab's founding core members.
Co-founder Li Wangwei earned his doctorate from National University of Singapore and brings over a decade of tactile sensor development experience as former head of tactile perception systems at Tencent Robotics X.
Yang characterized the startup decision as choosing to become an industry "wind maker" rather than waiting for market trends. The team's academic and corporate research background provides confidence in navigating the technical challenges of high-degree-of-freedom robotic manipulation systems.
The founders argue that embodied intelligence applications require sophisticated upper-body manipulation capabilities, making dexterous hands essential rather than optional components for physical world operations. Without reliable robotic hands, large language models cannot develop generalized manipulation intelligence through training, according to Yang's assessment.