Gentle Machines: Giving Robots a Sense of Touch
Scientists in Switzerland have raised $30 million to build an artificial nervous system that gives robots a gentle sense of touch.
Have you ever wondered why machines can solve complicated maths sums in a flash, yet struggle to pick up a delicate object without breaking it? On 22 October 2026, an innovative robotics team named Enact Intelligence in Zurich, Switzerland, announced an exciting breakthrough to give robots sense of touch.
The company raised 30 million dollars (around 27 million euros) to develop an artificial nervous system for machines. This historic funding round is the largest pre-seed investment ever recorded in Switzerland, bringing scientists one step closer to building gentle machines that can feel the physical world just like humans do.
What happened?
Today, most modern robots rely entirely on computer vision cameras to see their surroundings. While these digital cameras are very good at spotting where an item is located, they cannot measure physical pressure, weight, or resistance.
Because they lack feeling, vision-only robots often make clumsy mistakes when doing fine work. For instance, when attempting tasks in tight spaces, they might push far too hard, bending electrical pins, snapping plastic clips, or crushing fragile objects into pieces.
To solve this tricky challenge, Enact Intelligence is developing a cutting-edge approach called haptic intelligence. Instead of gluing thick, clumsy sensor pads onto the outside of robot fingers, the team designs custom motors that measure force directly inside each actuator. This clever setup gives the machine full-body force awareness without extra clutter.
Founded in March 2026 in the Binz quarter of Zurich, Enact is led by founder and chief executive Manuel Galliker. Galliker is an ETH Zurich graduate who previously created software for a humanoid robot named NEO. The company’s bold ideas caught the attention of major venture capital firms, including redalpine, Notion Capital, and firstminute capital. Leading artificial intelligence pioneers also joined as angel investors, including Yann LeCun, Arthur Mensch, and Andrew Lonsberry.
With this new artificial nervous system, robots can tackle sensitive manual chores that were once impossible for them. They will know precisely how much force to use when plugging in electrical cables, tightening small screws, closing cardboard boxes, or even lifting a soft pumpkin without crushing it!
Why does it matter to you?
Imagine trying to assemble a tiny toy model or carry a fresh egg while wearing thick, frozen cricket gloves. Because your fingers cannot feel what they are touching, you might accidentally squeeze too hard and break the toy, or let the egg slip right through your hands!
Human skin is packed with natural touch sensors that tell your brain whether an object is soft, rough, heavy, or slippery. This helps you hold a fragile Diwali diya safely, tie your school shoelaces, or turn a delicate page of your textbook without tearing it.
By bringing haptic intelligence to machines, engineers can build safe robotic helpers for schools, hospitals, and factories around the world. In the future, careful robots could help pack delicate glass items, build electronics, or assist people at home without causing any accidental damage.
Words to know
- Actuator: a mechanical component inside a robot, such as an electric motor, that moves its joints and limbs.
- Haptic: relating to the sense of touch and the ability to feel physical force or pressure.
- Pre-seed: early money raised by a brand-new company to help turn a fresh scientific idea into reality.
- Computer vision: technology that enables computers and robots to process and understand visual pictures from cameras.
Did you know?
European technology observers noted that Enact Intelligence’s 30 million dollar fundraise was the largest pre-seed investment ever recorded in Switzerland!
Think about it
If a friendly robot with a gentle sense of touch came to your school or home, which delicate chore would you ask it to do? Why do you think having a sense of touch is just as important for a robot as having eyes?
Quick quiz
How do Enact’s robots measure physical force without needing bulky sensor pads on their fingers?
- By using high-speed colour cameras
- With custom motors that measure force directly inside each actuator
- By covering their hands in thick rubber pads
See the answer
With custom motors that measure force directly inside each actuator
Sources
This story was prepared by the Kids Gazette news desk with the help of AI research and writing tools, using the sources listed above.
