Unitree Dex3-1 — Force-Controlled Three Fingers: The Hand the G1 Touches the World With

The Dex3-1 is Unitree's three-finger force-controlled dexterous hand: 7 motion joints in a 175 × 88 × 77 mm, 710-gram body — 3 in the thumb and 2 each in the index and middle fingers. Six joints are direct-drive and one is gear-driven micro brushless force-control units. The manufacturer's positioning is clear: mimic the human hand's precise manipulation of objects through force-position hybrid control. It is lighter and simpler than the five-finger Dex5-1 and far more capable than the Dex1-1 gripper — the balanced middle of the family.

This is the hand in the "23 DoF base, up to 43 DoF with Dex3-1" line across our G1 pages: add two Dex3-1 hands (7 joints each) and the wrist freedoms, and the G1 EDU becomes a full manipulation platform. For teams planning a G1 or G1 EDU purchase, the hand configuration is finalized together at order time — the right package up front beats retrofitting, for both budget and delivery.

Each hand carries 33 pressure sensors in 9 arrays: three 2×2 arrays in the palm, 2×2 on each of three finger pads, and 3×1 on the fingertips. Sensing range is 10 g - 2,500 g; the sensors withstand up to 20 kg without damage. The manufacturer showcases the Dex3-1 in manipulation data-collection scenarios and publishes the related software ecosystem through its open-source channel — for teams doing visuo-tactile imitation learning, this hand is the device at the end of the data pipeline. We track the open-source side on our open source page.

The control loop runs at 1000 Hz; the command set covers joint mode, position, velocity, torque and stiffness/damping coefficients. Feedback is complete: joint position/velocity/torque/temperature, voltage-current, sensor pressure and temperature values, and IMU data. In practice: the hand takes a software-defined force limit to grasp an egg without crushing it and verifies contact through tactile feedback — exactly what classic position-controlled grippers cannot do. Supply is 12-58 V; interface USB 2.0; operating range -20…60 °C.

The fingers are driven by 45-gram, 34.8 mm F-1515 micro brushless force joints (two types, 1:108 and 1:214 reduction). The manufacturer states torque with an honest split: ideal maximums of 0.76 / 1.498 N·m; in practice 0.49 / 0.86 N·m with rotation and 1.37 / 3.1 N·m against it (braking). A rotor absolute encoder and a 1000 Hz high-speed single-wire bus complete the package. For a broader look at the actuator world, see our Unitree motors guide.

An honest decision table: the Dex1-1 gripper is the workhorse of repetitive industrial grasping (form-fit up to 20 kg). The Dex3-1 is the standard hand of the G1 ecosystem — built for tactile data collection and precise light manipulation; its conditional load rating is 500 g (5 cm rigid cylinder, palm down/sideways), meaning it does skill work, not heavy lifting. The Dex5-1 is the summit for research needing human-like 20-DoF grasping. Share your task definition and we'll pick the right hand together.

We supply the Dex3-1 configured with the G1/G1 EDU or standalone, as the authorized Turkey distributor; import, warranty and invoicing are handled by us. The manufacturer's official user manual is published online; our engineering team supports installation and SDK integration. Current pricing is quoted per configuration — reach us via the accessories page or the quote form.