KIRISENSE TECHNOLOGY

Our Technology

Kirigami‑inspired optical tactile sensors that give robots a sense of touch — from first contact through to stable grasp and release.

Why robots still can’t handle what humans handle easily

Industrial robots are powerful, precise and fast — but they’re essentially blind to contact. Most robotic systems today rely on vision and force/torque sensors at the wrist, which tells them where an object is and how much total force they’re applying, but almost nothing about what’s happening at the point of contact.

That’s why robots struggle with soft fruit, flexible packaging, mixed components and anything that varies in shape, weight or compliance. The missing sense is touch — specifically, distributed tactile feedback across the gripping surface itself.

How Kirisense optical tactile sensing works

Our sensors use light, not electricity, to measure contact. A structured silicone surface sits over an optical system. When the sensor touches an object, the surface deforms — and those deformations change how light propagates through the structure. A compact imaging system reads these changes in real time, producing a rich, high‑resolution map of what’s happening at the contact interface.

Step 1

Contact

The sensor’s compliant surface conforms to the object. Kirigami‑inspired cut patterns in the structure allow it to flex and adapt to irregular shapes without pre‑programming.

Step 2

Optical readout

Internal deformations alter light patterns within the sensor. An embedded optical system captures these changes at high speed — no external wiring, no electromagnetic interference.

Step 3

Tactile intelligence

Signal processing and machine learning convert raw optical data into actionable information: contact location, pressure distribution, surface texture, slip detection and shear forces.

Why kirigami changes what’s possible

Kirigami is the Japanese art of cutting (not just folding) flat materials to create structures that stretch, flex and conform in ways the base material cannot. Kirisense applies this principle to sensing surfaces.

Conformability

The sensor wraps around curved and irregular surfaces without losing sensitivity.

Tuneable compliance

Stiffness and flexibility can be adjusted by changing the cut geometry, matching the sensor to different tasks.

Strain isolation

Kirigami patterns decouple global stretching from local sensing, so the sensor remains accurate even on moving or deforming grippers.

Scalable fabrication

Cut patterns are produced using standard manufacturing processes, keeping costs viable for volume deployment.

How optical tactile sensing compares

	Optical (Kirisense)	Capacitive	Resistive	Piezoelectric
Spatial resolution	Very high (camera‑based)	Moderate	Low–moderate	Low
Multi‑modal sensing	Pressure, texture, shear, slip	Pressure, proximity	Pressure only	Dynamic pressure only
EMI immunity	✓ Fully immune	✗ Susceptible	✗ Susceptible	✗ Susceptible
Conformability	✓ Kirigami‑enabled	Limited	Limited	Rigid
Wiring complexity	Low (single optical link)	High (per‑taxel)	High (per‑taxel)	Moderate
Static + dynamic sensing	✓ Both	✓ Both	✓ Static mainly	✗ Dynamic only
Durability	High (no electrical contacts at surface)	Moderate	Low (wear at contacts)	Moderate
Cost at scale	✓ Low (standard fabrication, minimal wiring)	Moderate–high (ASIC + dense wiring)	Low–moderate	Moderate–high (specialist materials)

Built to integrate, not to replace

Kirisense sensors are designed as a component, not a complete robotic system. They mount onto existing grippers, end‑effectors and robotic hands, adding tactile intelligence to platforms that already handle positioning and motion control.

Gripper retrofits

Attach to parallel‑jaw, soft or adaptive grippers from major OEMs. Adds tactile feedback without changing the mechanical design.

Custom end‑effectors

Co‑designed sensor geometries for application‑specific tooling — food‑safe, cleanroom‑compatible or ruggedised variants.

Data output

Standard interfaces (ROS‑compatible, serial, analogue) for integration with existing robot controllers and automation platforms. No proprietary middleware required.

Patented technology, advancing to pilot

Kirisense holds patents on the core kirigami‑inspired optical tactile sensing architecture. We are currently at proof‑of‑concept stage and actively seeking partners to co‑develop application‑specific sensor variants through:

Joint R&D

Collaborative development with robotics OEMs and system integrators.

Pilot deployments

Real‑world testing in food, warehouse, lab or waste environments.

Grant partnerships

Co‑applications to Innovate UK, ARIA and Horizon Europe programmes.

Licensing

For OEMs who want to embed Kirisense sensing into their own products.

Interested in the technical details?

We’re happy to share more with potential partners, collaborators and investors under NDA. Get in touch to discuss your application or request a technical briefing.

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