The robotics industry is evolving rapidly. With collaborative robots (cobots) and humanoid machines increasingly deployed across manufacturing, logistics, and healthcare, there’s growing demand for smarter, safer, and more precise systems. At the heart of this transformation is sensing.
Traditional industrial robots often operated with minimal sensory feedback are typically just motor current and angular position sensors. Today’s advanced systems, especially cobots and humanoids, rely heavily on embedded force and torque sensors in each joint. This enhances control, improves performance, and, crucially, increases safety when working around humans.
International safety standard ISO 10218-1 mandates force sensing in robots that interact directly with people. Manufacturers such as Doosan and KUKA have responded by embedding torque sensors in every joint. Tesla’s Optimus robot reportedly includes 14 torque and 18 force sensors, allowing for highly refined motion control and improved operational safety.
Historically, two main technologies have been used for torque sensing:
Strain-Gauge Sensors measure deformation in a flex plate. While cost-effective and easy to use in low-volume settings, they compromise mechanical integrity, are vulnerable to electromagnetic interference, and are affected by temperature variations.
Displacement Sensors track the twist angle of a shaft via optical or magnetic means. Though capable of withstanding higher loads, they require larger, less stable mechanical designs and offer limited accuracy.
Both approaches require some flexibility in the robotic joint, which can reduce stiffness and limit performance and repeatability.
Transense’s Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) technology offers a breakthrough alternative.
This passive, wireless system uses SAW transducers to measure torque, strain, and temperature without affecting joint stiffness or requiring bulky mechanical elements.
SAW sensors are highly compact, immune to RF and magnetic interference, and offer excellent dynamic response with ±1% accuracy.
These sensors also allow for temperature compensation, can be integrated into standard materials, and support high-frequency data output—ideal for real-time control. Their compact size means tighter, more efficient joint designs.
Beyond force and torque, SAW sensors’ high sensitivity positions them for use in tactile surface sensing—measuring contact pressure and enhancing robotic touch sensitivity.
As the robotics sector grows, precision sensing is no longer optional—it’s vital. Technologies like SAW are not only improving control and safety but are also redefining what modern robots can sense, feel, and achieve.
“Our SAW technology enables the next generation of robotics to be lighter, more responsive and more capable,” says Ryan Maughan, Managing Director of Transense. “It’s about giving robots the ability to feel, react and perform with greater precision than ever before.”
To explore how Transense’s SAW technology can enhance your next-generation robotics systems, visit www.transense.com or contact the team for more information.
