The past decade has transformed what robots can see. Advances in artificial intelligence have unlocked remarkable progress in perception and decision-making. But outside carefully controlled environments, robots still struggle with many of the manual tasks people take for granted.

The challenge lies in the final few millimetres of interaction between machine and object. A robot may recognise a strawberry perfectly. Handling it without damage is another matter entirely.

Kirisense, a UK company developing advanced tactile sensing technology, has been awarded funding through the Henry Royce Institute’s Industrial Collaboration Programme to accelerate the development of robotic fingertips capable of sensing shear forces and slip in real time.

The project, which will be delivered in collaboration with the University of Sheffield, will focus on a new generation of tactile sensors designed to help robots understand not only when contact has been made, but how an object is moving within their grasp. That capability is fundamental to dexterous manipulation and represents one of the most significant remaining challenges in robotics.

The award forms part of the Henry Royce Institute’s latest Industrial Collaboration Programme funding round supporting innovative materials technologies with strong commercial potential across the UK.

Read the official Henry Royce Institute announcement.

For Kirisense, the project represents an important step towards robots that can operate more effectively in the real world.

Most robots excel in structured environments where objects are predictable and carefully positioned. Outside those environments, successful manipulation depends on understanding what is happening at the point of contact. A slight movement, a changing load or the first signs of slip can determine whether a task succeeds or fails.

The Royce-funded project will focus on developing sensors capable of detecting these subtle interactions in real time, giving robots richer information about the objects they are handling.

Kirisense is pursuing a different approach from many tactile sensing systems currently under development. Rather than relying on camera-based architectures that require onboard imaging hardware and significant data processing, the company is developing a compact optical sensing platform designed to deliver high-speed force and slip detection with a simpler hardware footprint. The approach is intended to support easier integration into robotic grippers, hands and end-effectors while maintaining the responsiveness required for real-world manipulation tasks.

"AI has dramatically improved what robots know about the world. Our focus is on what happens when a robot actually interacts with it. The ability to detect force, movement and slip at the point of contact allows machines to respond to changing conditions as they occur. We believe tactile sensing will be a critical enabling technology for the next wave of robotics, particularly as systems move beyond structured factory environments into logistics, healthcare and everyday human environments."

Kangsheng Bretherton-Liu, Founder and CEO, Kirisense

The technology has potential applications across a wide range of sectors, including food handling, logistics, advanced manufacturing, healthcare and the emerging humanoid robotics market.

"The robotics industry has spent years solving perception. The next challenge is manipulation. A robot may know exactly what an object is and where it is located. The harder challenge is handling it reliably when conditions are less predictable. We believe tactile sensing will become a foundational technology for robotics, much as machine vision became foundational for the previous generation of automation. This project helps move that vision closer to reality."

Tim Harper, Chair, Kirisense

The Henry Royce Institute described the project as a "well-designed, timely and strategically important project" with clear benefits for both industrial and academic partners and the potential for significant impact. The funded project, "The Development of a Shear-Sensing Fingertip Prototype Demonstrator", will commence in July 2026 and be delivered in partnership with the University of Sheffield.

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