Sharpa
Sharpa is a robotics company headquartered in Singapore with an office in Shanghai, founded in 2024 by senior executives of lidar maker Hesai Technology: chief executive David Li (Li Yifan), chief technology officer Xiang Shaoqing and chief scientist Sun Kai. It builds dexterous hands and humanoid robots. SharpaWave is a dexterous hand with 22 degrees of freedom and about 1,000 tactile sensors per fingertip, priced at around US$50,000. At CES 2026 in Las Vegas it unveiled Sharpa North, a wheeled humanoid using its own dexterous hands and a self-learning control system, which played table tennis, folded pinwheels and took photographs. Sharpa has been reported to have raised nearly US$85 million and to be valued at more than US$1 billion, and it kept a low profile until January 2026, when investors described the product as jaw-dropping. Sharpa North has been presented as NVIDIA's first open humanoid platform, and Dairy Queen has hired a Sharpa North robot.
💡Notable Achievement: Sharpa, founded in 2024 by Hesai executives, unveiled the wheeled North humanoid at CES 2026 and sells the SharpaWave hand for around US$50,000.
What Does Sharpa Do?
Sharpa is a Singapore company founded in 2024 by Hesai Technology executives that builds dexterous hands and the Sharpa North humanoid.
“Dexterity first, from lidar veterans.”
SharpaWave
22 degrees of freedom and about 1,000 tactile sensors per fingertip.
Sharpa North
A wheeled humanoid shown at CES 2026.
Hesai Founders
Spatial perception expertise applied to robots.
What Can Sharpa Robots Actually Do?
Cross-portfolio operational capabilities, manipulation tasks, and environmental competencies
Fine manipulation and interaction.
Table Tennis
Played table tennis at CES 2026.
Fine Tasks
Folded pinwheels and took photographs.
Sharpa Robots
Showing 1 Humanoid Robots of 1 total model
North
Manufactured by Sharpa
North is Sharpa's pioneering autonomous full-body humanoid robot, unveiled at CES 2026, designed for productivity in real-world environments through seamless integration of dexterous manipulation and whole-body control. Featuring SharpaWave hands with 22 active degrees of freedom, ultra-sensitive tactile feedback exceeding 1,000 pixels per fingertip, and sub-millimeter precision, North excels in contact-rich tasks like ping-pong rallies with 0.02-second reactions, ~2mm accurate photo capture, card dealing via multimodal vision-language reasoning, and 30+ step windmill assembly. Its human-like upper-body motion from neck to wrist, powered by proprietary neural networks, CraftNet VTLA model, and advanced kinematics ensures reliable long-horizon autonomy. Built for industrial versatility, North handles diverse scenarios with high success rates, bridging dexterity and mobility for tasks in manufacturing, logistics, and human-collaborative settings, redefining useful general-purpose robotics.
Sharpa Timeline & Milestones
Evolutionary history, landmark prototypes, major acquisitions, and commercial roadmap
Sharpa founded by former Hesai executives
David Li, Xiang Shaoqing and Sun Kai, executives of Hesai Technology, found Sharpa in Singapore to build dexterous hands and humanoids.
Source: kr-asia.com
Sharpa North humanoid unveiled at CES 2026
Sharpa unveils North, a wheeled humanoid with in-house dexterous hands, playing table tennis and folding pinwheels at CES 2026.
Source: mikekalil.com
Dairy Queen hires Sharpa North
Dairy Queen puts a Sharpa North humanoid robot to work in one of its restaurants.
Source: mikekalil.com
Sharpa Competitors by Category
Direct industry rivals grouped by specific robotics domain
What Makes Sharpa Different?
Editorial AnalysisOrigin of Bots objective strategic assessment, engineering moats, and commercial hurdles
Key Strengths & Moats
- ✓Strong founding team.
- ✓Large reported valuation.
Core Strategic Focus
Commercial deployments of North.
Road Ahead & Challenges
- •Very young company.
- •North price not published.
Sharpa vs Key Competitors
Strategic capability matrix across platform categories, commercial readiness, and target markets
Total Degrees of Freedom
- Sharpa North
- Not published
- Unitree G1
- 23-43 DoF
- Figure 02
- 38 DoF
- Sanctuary Phoenix
- 55+ DoF
Hand Degrees of Freedom
- Sharpa North
- 16 DoF per hand
- Unitree G1
- 3-5 DoF per hand
- Figure 02
- 16 DoF per hand
- Sanctuary Phoenix
- 20 DoF per hand
Locomotion Type
- Sharpa North
- Bipedal Walking
- Unitree G1
- Bipedal Walking
- Figure 02
- Bipedal Walking
- Sanctuary Phoenix
- Wheeled / Bipedal
Walking Speed
- Sharpa North
- 1.8 m/s
- Unitree G1
- 2.0 m/s
- Figure 02
- 1.2 m/s
- Sanctuary Phoenix
- 1.0 m/s
| Strategic Dimension | Sharpa North | Unitree G1 | Figure 02 | Sanctuary Phoenix |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Degrees of Freedom | Not published | 23-43 DoF | 38 DoF | 55+ DoF |
| Hand Degrees of Freedom | 16 DoF per hand | 3-5 DoF per hand | 16 DoF per hand | 20 DoF per hand |
| Locomotion Type | Bipedal Walking | Bipedal Walking | Bipedal Walking | Wheeled / Bipedal |
| Walking Speed | 1.8 m/s | 2.0 m/s | 1.2 m/s | 1.0 m/s |
Corporate Ecosystem & Ownership Structure
Parent company relationships, historical acquisitions, and global operating facilities
Hesai Technology
Sharpa's founders came from Hesai.
Ownership & Acquisition History
Sharpa's founders came from Hesai.
Global Facilities & Operating Hubs
Sharpa Headquarters
HQSingapore
Articles & Industry News
Showing 1 recent article and news updates about Sharpa
Frequently Asked Questions
8 AnswersVerified answers, company specifications, and deployment details about Sharpa
What is Sharpa?
Sharpa is a Singapore-headquartered robotics company, with an office in Shanghai, founded in 2024 by former Hesai Technology executives to build dexterous hands and humanoids such as Sharpa North.
Who founded Sharpa?
Sharpa was founded by David Li (Li Yifan), its chief executive, Xiang Shaoqing, its chief technology officer, and Sun Kai, its chief scientist, all senior executives at lidar maker Hesai Technology.
What is Sharpa North?
Sharpa North is a wheeled humanoid unveiled at CES 2026, with Sharpa's in-house dexterous hands and a self-learning control system, that showed table tennis, pinwheel folding and photography.
What is the SharpaWave hand?
SharpaWave is Sharpa's dexterous hand with 22 degrees of freedom and about 1,000 tactile sensors per fingertip, priced at around US$50,000.
How much has Sharpa raised?
Sharpa has been reported to have raised nearly US$85 million and to be valued at more than US$1 billion, though it has disclosed little about its rounds.
Where is Sharpa North used?
Dairy Queen has hired a Sharpa North humanoid, and the robot has been presented at CES 2026 as a platform for physical AI research and service tasks.
How is Sharpa linked to Hesai?
Sharpa's three founders come from Hesai Technology, the world's largest automotive lidar supplier, and applied their spatial perception expertise to embodied AI robotics.
How much does Sharpa North cost?
Sharpa has not published a price for North. Its SharpaWave hand has been listed at around US$50,000, which gives a guide to the cost of its dexterity technology.
Verified Data & Editorial Assurance
Compiled from verified corporate filings, official Sharpa datasheets, and robotics engineering registries. Information has been verified against official manufacturer documentation. For commercial procurement or proprietary integrations, contact the manufacturer directly.