SUZHOU, China, Sept. 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A robotic hand developed by Chinese firm AGILINK has been taught foundational Suzhou embroidery techniques by master craftswoman Fu Xianghong, including separating silk threads, threading a needle, stretching fabric on an embroidery hoop and stitching.
The robot “apprentices” with Suzhou embroidery inheritor Fu Xianghong
The demonstration puts a robotic hand to work with one of the most delicate and deformable materials it can encounter: silk. A silk thread can bend, slip and change shape with slight changes in contact. Splitting silk requires one finger to separate individual strands while others maintain support and tension; twisting thread requires opposing fingertips to maintain contact while allowing the thread to turn. Threading a needle and stitching add further demands on positioning, force and coordination.
The OmniHand 3 Ultra combines 21 active degrees of freedom with a fully direct-drive architecture and tactile sensing across the fingertips, finger pads and palm. Vision-based tactile sensors at each fingertip detect changes in the contact surface, providing feedback as the hand handles thin, deformable materials.
"A single silk thread gives OmniHand 3 Ultra’s fingertip dexterity a visible measure," said Qiao Tianjie, Vice President of AGIBOT and CEO of AGILINK. "It also reveals the possibility of handing more delicate work to machines."
The demonstration comes as AGILINK reaches a new stage of commercial scale. Spun out from AGIBOT in January 2026, the company has shipped more than 15,000 dexterous hands to date. In August, its OmniHand series competed across all eight dexterous-hand events at the World Humanoid Robot Games, winning seven gold, four silver and three bronze medals.
AGILINK reached unicorn status five months after launch, backed by investors including Hillhouse Ventures and Mirae Asset. Its fourth funding round in June valued the company at more than US$1 billion. The company sees dexterous manipulation of flexible and delicate materials as relevant to applications including cable handling, flexible-material assembly and precision-component manipulation.
AGILINK’s OmniHand 3 Ultra stitches on a silk embroidery frame
"We’ll have another pair of hands for delicate work," Fu said.
About AGILINK
AGILINK specializes in dexterous robotic manipulation, combining dexterous hardware, tactile sensing and control for delicate and deformable objects.
Watch the film: [https://youtu.be/uRy589aDp48]