BrainCo Revo 3
The BrainCo Revo 3 is a 21 degree of freedom, five finger dexterous robot hand built entirely on direct drive, backdrivable joints, sensing through a full palm tactile array at 0.01 newton resolution and visuotactile fingertips detecting 130 micrometre deformations, grasping above 70 newtons with a 20 kilogramme payload and 33 grasp types at 500 hertz over EtherCAT, CAN FD and RS-485, available in Basic, Touch and Vision variants with the flagship V-Touch configuration.
BrainCo Revo 3
Grasping is a solved problem; knowing what the object is doing inside the grasp is not, and that second problem is the one the BrainCo Revo 3 was engineered to close. Launched on 10 April 2026 by BrainCo, the Hangzhou neurotechnology firm whose hand engineering began in prosthetic limbs, the Revo 3 is a full size, five finger dexterous hand carrying 21 degrees of freedom on joints that are entirely direct drive and backdrivable, and wearing two layers of artificial touch: a tactile array across the whole palm resolving contacts of 0.01 newtons, and visuotactile fingertips that image their own surfaces deforming by around 130 micrometres. The company presents the combination as a world first among open ecosystem hands, more than 20 degrees of freedom joined to that depth of sensing, and its purpose is specific: not holding objects, but manipulating them within the hand, felt, tracked and controlled through every millimetre of movement.
The numbers around the sensing are equally serious. The Revo 3 grasps actively above 70 newtons and pinches beyond 20 at the fingertip, carries 20 kilogrammes whole handed and 5 kilogrammes on four fingers, repeats joint positions to 0.1 degrees, cycles open and closed at 3 hertz, executes 33 distinct grasp types, and exceeds the human hand's range on the Kapandji opposition test, all commanded at 500 hertz across four control modes and three industrial buses. Around it, BrainCo ships the open toolchain, SDKs, ROS 2, simulation and one click sim2real deployment, that turns the hardware into a research and integration platform.
Within the wider robot hands and accessories categories, the BrainCo Revo 3 for sale can be explored through this page.
Background
Third generation, first principles
The Revo 3 arrives as the third step of an unusually disciplined progression. BrainCo's first robot dexterous hand appeared in March 2024, carrying engineering matured through years of prosthetic fittings, where hands must work daily for human wearers; a tactile version followed within five months; and the Revo 2 series spread across dozens of robotics companies by April 2025. Rather than iterate that fielded design, the Revo 3 rebuilds from first principles around the two capabilities the industry's manipulation ambitions actually demand: joints that can feel force flowing through them, and skin that can report where the object is.
Why backdrivable changes everything
Conventional dexterous hands place gearing between motor and finger, which multiplies force but blinds the joint: pushed from outside, it cannot yield or measure. The Revo 3's fully direct drive architecture removes that wall. Every one of its 21 joints transmits force in both directions, so the hand complies on unexpected contact, estimates load through its own motors, and executes genuine force control rather than position control wearing a force costume, the mechanical precondition for manipulation that adjusts in real time.
Specifications
| Attribute | BrainCo Revo 3 |
|---|---|
| Degrees of freedom | 21 total: 4 per finger × 4 fingers, 5 on the thumb |
| Architecture | Fully direct drive, backdrivable joints |
| Dimensions | 215 × 105 × 50 mm |
| Grasp force | >70 N active; >20 N fingertip pinch |
| Payload | 20 kg overall; 5 kg on four fingers |
| Precision | 0.1° repeatability; 3 Hz open–close cycles |
| Grasp range | 10–150 mm object diameters; 33 grasp types; full five finger opposition to palm |
| Palm sensing | Full palm tactile array, 0.01 N resolution (Touch/Vision) |
| Fingertip sensing | Visuotactile, ~130 μm deformation detection (Vision) |
| Control | 500 Hz; position, MIT force position, admittance, zero torque modes |
| Communication | EtherCAT, CAN FD, RS-485 |
| Power | 12–80 V; 10 A max at 24 V |
| Onboard sensors | IMU, mainboard temperature |
| Software | C++/Python SDK, ROS 2, simulation assets, sim2real one click deployment |
Figures follow published specifications; variants and fitment are confirmed at quotation.
The Revo 3 Variants
Revo 3 Basic
The Basic, designated U21, delivers the complete mechanical proposition, all 21 direct drive degrees of freedom, the full force and payload envelope, the four control modes and bus options, for programmes whose priority is dexterous motion and force control rather than surface sensing.
Revo 3 Touch
The Touch, designated U21T, adds the full palm tactile array: 0.01 newton contact resolution across the entire grasping surface, reading pressure distribution, friction, force direction and proximity, the configuration for grasp research and force aware applications.
Revo 3 Vision
The Vision, designated U21VT and crowned by the V-Touch build, completes the sensory stack with visuotactile fingertips, cameras imaging each tip's deformation to roughly 130 micrometres, joined to the palm array for the full dual layer contact picture, the flagship for in-hand manipulation, tactile policy learning and embodied AI research.
Which buyers does the Revo 3 suit?
The Revo 3 sells wherever grasping stopped being enough. Manipulation laboratories take the Vision for in-hand dexterity, contact rich policy learning and tactile perception studies across research robotics. Humanoid programmes fit pairs to research platforms across the humanoid catalogue, where a hand outperforming the human Kapandji range meaningfully raises what the robot above it can attempt. Embodied AI teams take the sim2real pipeline and 500 hertz force control for data driven manipulation, industrial developers take the Touch toward assembly, tool use and inspection development across industrial robotics, and advanced teaching programmes take the Basic's transparent mechanics across educational robotics, with complementary sensing from the sensors catalogue completing rigs.
Technology
A palm that reads the whole story
Fingertip sensing tells a hand where it touches; the Revo 3's palm array tells it what is happening. Resolving 0.01 newton contacts across the complete inner surface, it maps pressure distribution as objects settle, reads friction and force direction as they begin to slip, and senses proximity before contact lands, the continuous situational picture that lets control software stabilise an object rolling through a regrasp rather than discovering the slip after it finishes.
Fingertips that watch themselves
The visuotactile tips take the opposite approach to the same goal: each images its own contact surface, converting deformations of around 130 micrometres into direct measurements of pressure geometry, edge orientation and micro slip, sensing fine enough to track a screw thread catching or a card's edge aligning, delivered exactly where precision manipulation happens.
Four modes, one loop
The control repertoire matches the mechanics: pure position mode for repeatable motion, MIT force position for stiffness controlled contact, admittance for compliant response to external force, and zero torque for transparent teaching and data capture, all cycling at 500 hertz over EtherCAT, CAN FD or RS-485 within a 12 to 80 volt envelope, protected by onboard IMU and thermal monitoring.
From simulator to fitted hand
BrainCo closes the research loop in software: SDKs in C++ and Python, ROS 2 drivers, published description assets and simulation resources continuous with the wider Revo family, and the Revo 3's one click deployment carrying policies from simulation onto hardware, the open ecosystem framing that distinguishes the product among high degree of freedom hands.
What is the BrainCo Revo 3 used for?
- In-hand manipulation research: regrasping, rolling and precision adjustment under dual layer contact sensing across research robotics.
- Humanoid dexterity upgrades: flagship five finger capability fitted to research humanoids across the humanoid catalogue.
- Embodied AI and tactile policy learning: contact rich data collection and sim2real deployment at 500 hertz.
- Industrial application development: force controlled assembly, tool handling and inspection prototyping across industrial robotics.
- Teleoperation and demonstration capture: zero torque transparency for human guided motion and imitation datasets.
- Advanced education: direct drive mechanics and multi mode control taught hands on across educational robotics.
Pricing and Availability
The BrainCo Revo 3 is available for purchase across Europe and worldwide in its Basic, Touch and Vision variants, as single left or right units, matched pairs and laboratory sets, alongside the wider robot hands catalogue on Robots Europa. BrainCo Revo 3 price and cost vary by variant and sensing configuration, so buyers seeking the Revo 3 for sale should request a current quotation for their requirements, with European delivery, customs clearance and support arranged through Robots Europa. Purchasing enquiries, specification sheets and availability details for those looking to buy the BrainCo Revo 3 can be found on this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the BrainCo Revo 3?
The BrainCo Revo 3 is a full size, five finger dexterous robot hand launched in April 2026 by BrainCo: 21 degrees of freedom on fully direct drive, backdrivable joints, with full palm tactile sensing and visuotactile fingertips, presented as the world's first open ecosystem hand combining that freedom and sensory depth.
How does the BrainCo Revo 3 work?
Its 21 joints, four per finger and five on the thumb, transmit force bidirectionally under four control modes at 500 hertz, its palm array resolves 0.01 newton contacts across the grasping surface, its fingertips image their own deformation to around 130 micrometres, and the whole system integrates over EtherCAT, CAN FD or RS-485 through C++, Python and ROS 2 tooling.
What is the difference between the Revo 3 variants?
The Basic (U21) carries the full 21 degree of freedom mechanics; the Touch (U21T) adds the 0.01 newton full palm tactile array; and the Vision (U21VT), flagship of the range in its V-Touch build, completes the dual layer system with visuotactile fingertips for maximum contact perception.
How strong and precise is the Revo 3?
It grasps actively above 70 newtons, pinches beyond 20 newtons at the fingertip, carries 20 kilogrammes whole handed and 5 kilogrammes on four fingers, repeats to 0.1 degrees, cycles at 3 hertz, spans objects from 10 to 150 millimetres across 33 grasp types, and exceeds human range on the Kapandji opposition test.
What are the benefits of the BrainCo Revo 3?
Key benefits include backdrivable compliance and true force control unavailable in geared hands, the category's deepest dual layer touch sensing, an industrial communication and power envelope, four control modes spanning research and deployment, and an open SDK ecosystem with one click sim2real carrying the wider Revo family's field maturity.
Which robots can the Revo 3 be fitted to?
It is built as an integrable end effector: EtherCAT, CAN FD and RS-485 interfaces, a 12 to 80 volt range, left and right units and published description assets suit humanoids, robot arms and research rigs broadly, with fitment for specific platforms confirmed at quotation.
Where can I buy the BrainCo Revo 3 and what does it cost?
The BrainCo Revo 3 is for sale through Robots Europa, serving the United Kingdom, the European Union and markets worldwide with delivery, customs clearance and support. Because cost varies by variant and sensing configuration, buyers should request a tailored quotation. Full purchasing details are available on this page.
Summary
The BrainCo Revo 3 is the dexterous hand argued from the object's point of view: twenty one backdrivable joints so force can be felt as well as applied, a palm that resolves hundredths of a newton across its whole surface, fingertips that watch themselves deform by microns, and a control loop fast enough at 500 hertz to act on all of it. The variant ladder, Basic for the mechanics, Touch for the palm, Vision and its V-Touch summit for the complete sensory stack, lets programmes buy exactly the perception their research demands, inside an open ecosystem that deploys from simulation in a click. As the hand that turns grasping into manipulation, the BrainCo Revo 3 stands at the front of its category, and this page as the European starting point for taking it in hand.
v3, August 9, 2026