Understanding "Degrees of Freedom" When Comparing Robots

One of the most commonly cited specs is also one of the most commonly misunderstood.

Degrees of freedom (DoF) counts the number of independent ways a robot's joints can move — a higher number generally suggests more potential dexterity and range of motion, but the raw count alone doesn't tell the whole story.

Why the raw number can mislead

A robot with 40 degrees of freedom spread thinly, with weak actuation at each joint, may be less capable in practice than one with fewer, more powerfully and precisely actuated joints. Companies also differ in whether they count each individual finger joint separately, which can make DoF comparisons between hands especially inconsistent.

What to look at alongside it

Torque and speed at each joint, control software sophistication, and demonstrated task performance all matter alongside raw DoF count — a robot's total degrees of freedom is a useful rough indicator of potential complexity, not a direct, standalone measure of real-world capability.