Overview

Sharpa unveiled the D01 on September 28, 2026 at IROS in Pittsburgh, alongside the W02 robotic hand and the AE01 data glove. The company is based in Singapore and was founded in 2024 by Li Yifan, Xiang Shaoqing, and Sun Kai, who previously helped build lidar manufacturer Hesai. The D01 is the company's first complete robotic system and consolidates what Sharpa had previously worked on individually.

Construction

The D01 does not stand on legs, but on a mobile base. A lift column adjusts the working height between 1109 and 1624 millimeters, allowing the robot to work from ground level to above table height. Two arms, each with seven joints, span 1478 millimeters with hands; the wrist joints are designed as ball joints. Without the chassis, the system weighs approximately 40 kilograms. Together with both hands, it has 66 degrees of freedom, with 22 alone in the hands.

Technology and AI

The distinguishing feature lies in the skin. An electronic skin distributed across the body detects forces with a resolution of 0.2 newtons and samples one hundred times per second. The Wave hands work with a tactile matrix that provides over one thousand measurement points per fingertip. Computing is handled by an NVIDIA Jetson Thor, with control running at up to 1000 hertz. Each arm lifts 5 kilograms, the end effector reaches over 10.5 meters per second, and Sharpa specifies repeatability at 0.2 millimeters. This is complemented by a proprietary teleoperation system and the MoDE-VLA manipulation model.

Market Significance

3 billion, with investors including Alibaba, Tencent, JD.com, and Meituan. This makes the company one of the best-funded young robotics companies overall, despite previously appearing mainly as a supplier of hands and sensors. The D01 shifts this role. Anyone wanting to automate tasks involving substantial contact—such as inserting, joining, grinding, or assembling—needs exactly this type of feedback from the hand. Sharpa does not provide a price; all three products are available by inquiry only.