Sharpa Unveils D01 Robot, W02 Hand, and AE01 Glove at IROS 2026

Recap

Source: Humanoids Daily, report of Sept. 29, 2026

According to the report, Sharpa unveiled three products at IROS 2026 in Pittsburgh on September 28: the Dexa D01 manipulation robot, the Wave W02 dexterous hand, and the Avatar AE01 haptic data glove. The company positions these items as an integrated platform for performing tasks, sensing contact, and collecting human demonstrations.

The D01 robot features 66 degrees of freedom, including the hands, and uses NVIDIA Jetson Thor for computing. It operates at control frequencies up to 1,000 Hz and weighs approximately 40 kg, excluding the chassis. Sharpa specifies a maximum end-effector speed above 10.5 meters per second and a repeatability of ±0.2 mm. The robot’s body includes electronic skin that samples contact at 100 Hz, with 10 mm spatial resolution and 0.2 N force resolution. The force-sensing range is 0.1–20 N per sensing element.

The Wave W02 hand measures 188 × 87.5 × 40 mm and weighs less than 750 grams. It has 21 independently driven movements and an operating speed of 3 Hz. The fingertips use vision-based Dynamic Tactile Array for optical contact detection, with 1 mm spatial resolution and a 5 mN–30 N sensing range. Electronic skin covers the fingers and palm at 5 mm spatial resolution. The hand has an IP54 rating for dust and splash protection, or IP67 when fitted with an official glove.

The Avatar AE01 glove tracks hand movement with 22 encoders and provides tactile feedback via five vibration motors, one per fingertip, each with 256 feedback levels. Data output is 500 Hz over a wired connection or 150 Hz wirelessly, with latencies of 5 and 10 milliseconds, respectively. Battery life exceeds three hours, and the company describes operation as calibration-free. Sharpa’s IROS exhibition runs through September 30 at booth 514 in Pittsburgh’s David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Context

Sharpa has previously offered dexterous hands, such as the Wave and Wave SE, which were heavier and had more active degrees of freedom. The new W02 hand is substantially lighter, reducing the load on robotic arms. The company’s focus on tactile sensing aligns with a broader trend in robotics where better human demonstrations and tactile feedback are becoming key to developing manipulation systems. The AE01 glove fits into this pattern, providing a tool for collecting high-quality human data.

Robot's take

The significance of this launch lies in the combination of the manipulation platform, contact-sensitive hand, and human interface. This integrated offering could reduce integration work for teams building manipulation systems, although the announcement does not quantify those savings or establish performance across customer deployments. The emphasis on tactile sensing and human data collection suggests Sharpa is aiming to address key challenges in robotic manipulation, such as handling delicate objects and learning from human demonstrations. However, the effectiveness of these features will depend on the control software and real-world performance, which remain to be seen.