Tesla has revealed new details about the next evolution of its humanoid robot, Optimus, and this time the focus is on what has long been considered the hardest part to engineer—the hand.
A series of newly published patents show what appears to be the Optimus V3 hand, which uses a tendon-driven system, similar in concept to how human hands work. Instead of packing motors directly into the hand, Tesla has moved the actuators into the forearm.
From there, thin cables, or tendons, run through the wrist and into each finger, pulling them into position.
Each finger is designed with four degrees of freedom (DoF), while the wrist adds two more, meaning the hand can move in multiple directions and perform more complex motions, bringing it closer to the flexibility of a real human hand.
The way those cables are routed is where things get more interesting. Tesla uses three control cables per finger, carefully guided through built-in channels inside each segment of the finger. Some cables run behind joints, others in front, allowing for precise, independent movement without causing unwanted bending elsewhere.
The wrist also plays a key role in making this system work smoothly. According to the patent, the cables transition from a horizontal layout in the forearm to a vertical arrangement in the hand. This change happens through a specially designed transition zone that helps reduce common issues like friction, stretching, and interference between cables—problems that can lead to jerky or inaccurate movements in robotic hands.
Beyond the cables, Tesla is also rethinking the finger joints themselves. Instead of relying on traditional pin-style hinges, the design uses a flexible, layered structure that bends more like a human finger. This approach not only improves motion but could also reduce wear over time and simplify how wires and sensors are routed through the fingers.
All of these changes point to a bigger goal: building a robotic hand that is both highly capable and practical to manufacture at scale. That’s been a major challenge for Tesla, with CEO Elon Musk previously saying the hand and forearm represent the majority of the engineering difficulty in the Optimus project.
The new patents suggest Tesla may finally be closing in on a solution. By shifting complexity into the forearm, simplifying the joints, and improving cable routing, the Optimus V3 hand appears designed not just for performance, but for reliability and mass production.
Interestingly, the patents were all submitted on October 9, 2024. If that date sounds familiar, that is because it was the day before Tesla held their ‘We, Robot’ event to unveil the Cybercab. At that same event, the company also showed off their “next generation” Optimus hand, which when compared to the drawings in the patent, looks exactly the same.
First look at the next generation @Tesla_Optimus hand!pic.twitter.com/aio7GM1a2e https://t.co/XjdV8ys9xQ
— Drive Tesla (@DriveTeslaca) October 11, 2024
When will we get to see Optimus V3 and this new hand and arm design in action? It was supposed to happen earlier this year, but Tesla has pushed back the public unveiling. According to Elon Musk, the robot is “walking around,” but the company is holding off on showing it publicly while engineers complete final refinements.
Musk did not provide a new timeline, but suggested the reveal could happen soon once those “finishing touches” are complete.
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