Ultrasound offers a scalable path to tactile intelligence for physical AI
UltraSense proposes using sub-surface ultrasound technology to improve tactile sensing in robotics. This approach aims to overcome the durability and wear-and-tear issues associated with traditional electronic skin sensors in industrial and humanoid applications.
Why it matters
Reliable tactile sensing is a critical bottleneck for the commercial scalability of physical AI and dexterous robotic manipulation.
By Mo Maghsoudnia and Hao-Yen Tang | September 12, 2026
UltraSense claims that ultrasound can mitigate the wear and tear at the point of tactile sensing. Source: UltraSense
Physical AI is moving from digital reasoning into real-world interaction. Robots can see, plan, navigate, and move with sophistication. Yet manipulation depends on reliable touch, creating an opportunity for ultrasound.
The question is no longer whether robots need tactile sensing . For humanoid hands, dexterous grippers , logistics robots, service robots , and industrial systems, touch must detect contact, map force, sense shear and slip, and understand material interaction. The question is which tactile architecture can scale.
Many tactile and electronic-skin approaches rely on flexible electrical sensing layers placed on or near the contact surface. These include capacitive, piezoresistive, piezoelectric, triboelectric, and impedance-based structures integrated into elastomers, flexible substrates, conductive networks, or multilayer films. These technologies have advanced the field.
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