Insider Brief
- XELA Robotics debuted its uSkin 3D tactile sensing technology at CES 2026, positioning it as a practical way to give humanoid and industrial robots continuous, human-like touch feedback for real-world manipulation.
- The uSkin platform integrates layered elastomer-based sensors into robot hands and grippers to measure contact forces, object shape, and movement across fingertips, phalanges, and palms, addressing a long-standing limitation in robotic dexterity.
- XELA said the sensors are already deployed in academic and commercial settings and have been integrated with hardware from companies including Wonik Robotics, Weiss Robotics, Robotiq, and Tesollo, targeting adoption across manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and agriculture.
Robotic manipulation has long lagged behind perception and mobility, limited by a lack of reliable touch. At CES 2026, XELA Robotics is using its first appearance at the show to argue that constraint is beginning to ease.
The Japanese company, which specializes in three-dimensional tactile sensing, is demonstrating its uSkin technology integrated directly into existing robotic hands and industrial grippers. According to XELA Robotics, the system is designed to give robots continuous, real-time feedback about contact forces, object shape, and movement within a grasp — capabilities that are routine for humans but remain difficult for machines.
“We have taken an agnostic approach towards the commercialization of our technology,” XELA Robotics CEO Alexander Schmitz said in a statement. “Our focus has been to develop the most human-like sense of touch and make it available to all companies seeking to enhance their real-world automation.”
The uSkin platform combines hardware and software intended to support what the industry increasingly describes as physical AI. The sensor architecture consists of a protective outer layer, a deformable elastomer that absorbs load and conforms to objects, and a dense sensor layer capable of measuring three-axis displacement at multiple points. Together, these layers allow robots to detect how tightly they are holding an object and how it shifts during manipulation.
XELA Robotics positions the technology as a practical addition to existing robotic systems rather than a bespoke research tool. The company says uSkin is compact, durable, and designed for straightforward integration, reducing the engineering effort typically required to add tactile sensing. Sensors can be deployed as standalone components or embedded directly into hands and grippers, covering not only fingertips but also phalanges and palm areas, increasing the contact surface available for sensing.
That approach has enabled integrations with a range of commercially available robotic hardware, including systems from Wonik Robotics, Sake Robotics, Weiss Robotics, and Robotiq. In late 2025, XELA Robotics also announced integration with the Tesollo DG-5F, a five-finger anthropomorphic robot hand designed for dexterous manipulation, with commercial orders expected to begin in early 2026.
The company, a Waseda University spinout, said the sensors are already being used in university research and commercial pilots, particularly in applications where fragile or irregular objects must be handled reliably. Target markets include manufacturing, logistics, warehousing, and agriculture, where improved tactile feedback could reduce errors, damage, and downtime.
Image credit: XELA Robotics
