Report Highlights Difference in Finger Count Between Hyundai’s Atlas and Tesla’s Optimus

The Korea Herald reported on Oct. 13, 2026, on the difference in the number of fingers on Hyundai Motor Group’s Atlas and Tesla’s Optimus.

Hyundai Motor Group and Tesla’s humanoid robots were reported to make different choices in designing the same “hand.” This relates to a design divide between prioritizing ease of use in factories and prioritizing dexterity closer to that of a human.

The report is significant for drawing out differences in humanoid robot design philosophy through an external detail. However, the original is a column, and what can be confirmed here is only that it was reported. Any assessment of the technical arguments or definitive judgment about which design is superior should therefore be avoided. A related article from this newspaper, Forbes publishes a column discussing robot training data, presented a view of differences in robot performance through the lens of training data. The current topic concerns a hardware choice—the number of fingers—and suggests that discussion of humanoid robots can focus on both “what to teach them” and “how closely to make them resemble humans.” In addition, as Tesla publishes patent for tactile sensor for humanoid robot hands indicates, material has emerged pointing to Tesla’s efforts to refine hand functions. The current report, meanwhile, contrasts Hyundai’s design choice, suggesting that hand structure itself could become a point of differentiation. From an industry perspective, the number of fingers is not merely a matter of appearance; it relates to the number of components, control complexity and ease of manufacturing. For details on how the original article addresses these points, consult the original. Areas to watch include how far Atlas and Optimus are each intended for factory use, how changes to hand design affect mass production and maintenance, and what level of grasping performance the robots demonstrate in practice.