China’s new humanoid robot senses delicate touch with soft skin tech

China’s startup Matrix Robotics has unveiled MATRIX-3, its third-generation humanoid robot that marks a significant advancement in physical artificial intelligence. Unlike previous robots limited to pre-set tasks, MATRIX-3 is designed for adaptive, real-world interaction, aiming to operate safely and autonomously in everyday commercial, medical, and home environments. The robot features a biomimetic “skin” made of flexible woven fabric embedded with distributed sensors, enabling it to detect soft touch and real-time impacts, thus enhancing safety during human–robot interaction. Its tactile sensor arrays in the fingertips can sense pressures as low as 0.1 newtons, and combined with an advanced vision system, MATRIX-3 can assess object properties and handle fragile or deformable items reliably. MATRIX-3 also boasts human-like dexterity and mobility, with a 27-degree-of-freedom hand that mimics human anatomy and uses lightweight cable-driven actuators for precise, fast movements. Its full-body motion is powered by linear actuators