Canadian robotics startup Sanctuary AI has integrated tactile sensors into the hands of its humanoid robot Phoenix. The sensors are installed in the pads of all five fingers of the robot's anthropomorphic arms. Each of the sensors has seven sensitive areas that register the pressure exerted on them with an accuracy of five millinewtons. By comparison, human skin responds to a pressure of three millinewtons.

The sensors can detect the direction of pressure and measure shear forces, which is critical to preventing held objects from slipping. Tactile feedback on the fingers helps a teleoperator wearing haptic gloves controlling the robot's movements to pinpoint the exact moment of contact without even seeing the object. Data from the sensors will be used alongside the robot's camera images to train machine learning algorithms for its control system