UltraSense Gives Robots a Durable 'Sense of Touch' with Ultrasound

SAN JOSE, CA – April 15, 2026 – UltraSense Systems today unveiled a novel tactile intelligence platform poised to grant robots and other intelligent machines a more robust and reliable sense of touch. The new system, aimed at the burgeoning field of Physical AI, uses ultrasound technology to sense contact from beneath a protective surface, a design choice that directly confronts one of the biggest obstacles holding back advanced robotic manipulation: sensor durability.

The company announced that evaluation kits for its new platform will be available to customers for system integration and assessment starting June 1, 2026, opening the door for developers to begin experimenting with a technology that could fundamentally change how machines interact with the physical world.

The Fragile Touch of Modern Robots

For years, the dream of creating truly dexterous robots capable of navigating and manipulating objects in complex, unstructured environments has been hampered by a critical sensory gap. While advancements in computer vision have given machines a powerful sense of sight, their sense of touch has lagged significantly. This "critical missing layer," as many industry experts describe it, is essential for tasks that humans perform effortlessly, such as discerning texture, applying the right amount of pressure, or adjusting grip on a slippery object.

The core of the problem lies in the physical vulnerability of traditional tactile sensors. Most existing technologies, which often rely on capacitive, resistive, or optical principles, place the active sensing element at or very near the point of contact. While often highly sensitive, this placement makes them susceptible to the rigors of the real world. Repeated pressure, friction, impacts, and exposure to dust or moisture can cause them to wear out, degrade, or lose calibration over time. This lack of long-term stability has been a major barrier to deploying tactile-rich robots in industrial settings, logistics, and assistive care, where reliability is non-negotiable. For a robot on a factory line or a humanoid assistant, a sensor that fails after a few thousand grasps is not a viable solution.

A New Architecture Beneath the Surface

UltraSense Systems is tackling this long-standing challenge with a fundamentally different architectural approach. Instead of placing a fragile sensor on the "skin" of a robotic gripper or hand, its platform embeds the sensing technology deep within the structure. The system uses a proprietary combination of MEMS ultrasound transducers and processing ASICs to send and receive sound waves through the outer material—be it metal, plastic, or a soft elastomer "skin."

By analyzing the returning acoustic signatures, the platform's algorithms can detect the initial moment of contact, pinpoint its exact location, and infer force-related characteristics without any part of the core sensor ever being physically touched. This sub-surface design effectively shields the delicate electronics from the direct wear and tear of physical interaction.

"Physical AI will require a new class of tactile sensing that is not only sensitive, but durable enough for real-world deployment," said Mo Maghsoudnia, CEO of UltraSense Systems, in the company's announcement. "The challenge is not simply detecting first touch in a lab. The challenge is maintaining stable, useful tactile data over time in a contact-intensive environment. Our ultrasound platform is designed to protect the sensing core, preserve signal integrity, and provide a differentiated path beyond traditional surface-exposed approaches."

This approach offers a compelling alternative to competitors like SynTouch, which aims to mimic the human fingertip with complex, multi-layered sensors, or TakkTile, which uses robust barometers but still operates closer to the surface. By moving the sensing mechanism entirely beneath the interaction layer, UltraSense is making a clear bet that long-term durability is the key that will unlock widespread adoption.

From Automotive Grit to Robotic Grace

While the application in robotics is new, the underlying technology from UltraSense is already battle-tested in one of the world's most demanding industries: automotive. The company has built its reputation by supplying the automotive sector with its ultrasound-based human-machine interface (HMI) solutions, which replace physical buttons on steering wheels, doors, and consoles with solid-state touch surfaces.

UltraSense has successfully shipped more than four million units that are AEC-Q100 qualified. The AEC-Q100 standard is a rigorous stress-test qualification for automotive-grade integrated circuits, ensuring they can withstand extreme temperatures, humidity, vibration, and mechanical shock over a long lifespan. This proven track record of delivering high-volume, high-reliability components for the harsh environment of a vehicle provides significant credibility as the company pivots toward robotics. The experience demonstrates not only the robustness of the core ultrasound technology but also the company's capability to execute and scale production to meet the needs of major industrial clients.

This strategic transfer of technology allows UltraSense to enter the robotics market not as a speculative startup, but as a seasoned supplier with a proven platform. The same principles that allow a touch sensor on a car door to work flawlessly for years through rain, ice, and dirt are now being applied to give a robotic gripper the endurance needed for millions of pick-and-place cycles.

Enabling the Next Wave of Physical AI

The potential impact of a truly durable tactile sensor is vast. In industrial automation, robotic end effectors equipped with this technology could handle a wider variety of parts with greater precision and less risk of damage, all while reducing downtime for sensor replacement and recalibration. For humanoid robots, a reliable sense of touch is the gateway to safer human-robot collaboration and the ability to perform complex manipulation tasks in dynamic settings, from logistics warehouses to elder care facilities.

By targeting applications like humanoid hands, robotic grippers, and industrial end effectors, UltraSense is aiming squarely at the areas where the physical demands are highest and the need for reliable tactile data is most acute. The release of customer evaluation kits on June 1st will be the first real test, allowing roboticists and engineers to integrate the technology into their systems and validate the company's claims of durability and high-fidelity performance. If the platform delivers on its promise, it could represent a significant step forward in making our interactions with intelligent machines feel less robotic and far more real.