# Ep. 17: Today's Humanoid Robots Have Toddler Hands, Not Adult Ones.

- Show: [The Robo Success Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robo-success-podcast)
- Published: 2026-09-08
- Length: 20m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robo-success-podcast/2026-09-08-ep-17-todays-humanoid-robots-have-toddler-hands-not-adult-ones
- Listen: https://podcast.ausha.co/the-robo-success-podcast/ep-16-today-s-humanoid-robots-have-toddler-hands-not-adult-ones

## Summary

Jay Li, CEO and Founder of Proception, explains that current humanoid robots possess 'toddler-level' dexterity, lacking the tactile sensing required for useful work. He argues that while hardware and range of motion have improved, tactile feedback is now the critical bottleneck for high-success-rate manipulation. Proception addresses this by providing both robotic hands for deployment and specialized gloves for high-quality data collection to train AI models.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robo-success-podcast/2026-09-08-ep-17-todays-humanoid-robots-have-toddler-hands-not-adult-ones#t=0) Introduction: Jay Li and Proception's Mission
- [1:12](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robo-success-podcast/2026-09-08-ep-17-todays-humanoid-robots-have-toddler-hands-not-adult-ones#t=72) The Dexterity Gap: Human Hands vs. Robot Hands
- [4:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robo-success-podcast/2026-09-08-ep-17-todays-humanoid-robots-have-toddler-hands-not-adult-ones#t=267) Why Current Robots Are Like Toddlers
- [8:29](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robo-success-podcast/2026-09-08-ep-17-todays-humanoid-robots-have-toddler-hands-not-adult-ones#t=509) Simulation, Data, and AI in Manipulation
- [11:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robo-success-podcast/2026-09-08-ep-17-todays-humanoid-robots-have-toddler-hands-not-adult-ones#t=692) Tactile Sensing as the Critical Bottleneck
- [15:52](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robo-success-podcast/2026-09-08-ep-17-todays-humanoid-robots-have-toddler-hands-not-adult-ones#t=952) Market Goals and Proception's Business Model

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Proception (company)
- Apple (company)
- Tesla (company)
- ChatGPT (other)
- Anthropic (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Bonus Episode: Giving robots the power of human touch](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-09-21-bonus-episode-giving-robots-the-power-of-human-touch) (Robot Talk)
- [Episode 74: Teaching robots to grasp - Edward Johns](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2024-02-23-episode-74-teaching-robots-to-grasp-edward-johns) (Robot Talk)
- [Agility Robotics' Melonee Wise on role of humanoids](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2023-09-14-agility-robotics-melonee-wise-on-role-of-humanoids) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Episode 152: Dexterous robot hands - Rich Walker](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-04-17-episode-152-dexterous-robot-hands-rich-walker) (Robot Talk)
- [Episode 58: Dexterous robotic hands - Lorenzo Jamone](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2023-10-20-episode-58-dexterous-robotic-hands-lorenzo-jamone) (Robot Talk)

## Citing this page

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