Contactile
Component
Sydney UNSW spin-out selling optical pillar-array tactile sensors that measure 3D force, vibration and slip onset.
Contactile makes optical tactile sensors and smart end-effectors that give robot grippers a sense of touch. Each sensor is an array of soft pillars that deflect independently; a patented optical method reads each pillar's 3D deflection, 3D force and 3D vibration, and analysis across the array yields torque, friction estimation and slip onset — the signal a grip needs to hold an object firmly without crushing it. The company sells sensor arrays and integrated end-effectors to humanoid, industrial and research customers, positioned as plug-and-play with adaptive grip in real time and no per-object customisation. It is a UNSW Sydney spin-out founded in 2019, based in Sydney, with technology funded by the Australian Research Council and the US Office of Naval Research Global.
Research mapping
Physical AI / Perception & Sensing (L7) / Component
Evidence boundary
Original analysis and independent corroboration remain under development. Commercial scale and durable technical advantage remain under review.
What makes it defensible
A patented optical read-out of an array of soft pillars that yields slip onset and friction — not just force — which is the signal dexterous grasping actually needs.
Position in the stack: Tactile sensing layer inside the gripper: it supplies the contact feedback that separates reliable manipulation from open-loop pick-and-place, and it slots into other vendors' hands rather than competing with them.
Who buys it
Founding team
Heba Khamis — Co-founder & CEO — Has been developing tactile sensors for robotic gripping since 2014; led the UNSW research commercialisation and runs the company.
Benjamin Xia — Co-founder & CTO — Honours degree and Masters in electrical engineering from UNSW Sydney; inventor of the optical instrumentation method at the core of the sensor and developer of most hardware and software prototypes.
Stephen Redmond — Co-founder (2019–2022) — Co-inventor of the tactile sensing technology at UNSW Sydney; no longer with the company.
SourceFinancing detail
- Last round
- Seed
Investors: True Ventures, Flying Fox Ventures, Radar Ventures, UNSW Founders
Mapped funds and investors
Direct relationships supported by published evidence.
Reported holdings as-of
No sourced relationships mapped yet.
Disclosed investment history
No sourced relationships mapped yet.
Showing up to four relationships in each group. ETF weights describe the fund’s portfolio, not ownership of this company. Private investment history does not establish current ownership.