# Bonus Episode: Giving robots the power of human touch

- Show: [Robot Talk](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk)
- Published: 2026-09-21
- Length: 20m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-09-21-bonus-episode-giving-robots-the-power-of-human-touch
- Listen: https://ukrobotics.libsyn.com/bonus-episode-giving-robots-the-power-of-human-touch

## Summary

Vladimir Ivan, Vice President of Robotics at Touchlab, explains how his company develops e-skins to give robots the sense of touch, moving beyond visual-only perception. He details their new product, Tacto, a generalizable tactile fingertip with 16 sensing elements that detects pressure, vibration, and texture to enable dexterous manipulation in healthcare and manufacturing. Ivan discusses the engineering trade-offs between material robustness and sensitivity, highlighting the sensor's ability to withstand abuse while maintaining high-resolution data for AI-driven robot control.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-09-21-bonus-episode-giving-robots-the-power-of-human-touch#t=7) Introduction: Touchlab and the value of touch
- [3:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-09-21-bonus-episode-giving-robots-the-power-of-human-touch#t=197) Challenges of tactile feedback vs. vision
- [4:32](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-09-21-bonus-episode-giving-robots-the-power-of-human-touch#t=272) Application areas: Healthcare and manufacturing
- [6:03](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-09-21-bonus-episode-giving-robots-the-power-of-human-touch#t=363) Introducing Tacto: The new tactile fingertip
- [8:48](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-09-21-bonus-episode-giving-robots-the-power-of-human-touch#t=528) Future plans: Scaling production and AI integration
- [10:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-09-21-bonus-episode-giving-robots-the-power-of-human-touch#t=659) Sensor structure and material trade-offs
- [14:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-09-21-bonus-episode-giving-robots-the-power-of-human-touch#t=894) Demonstrating Tacto: Sensitivity and robustness

## Topics

- [Sensors & measurement in products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sensors)
- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Materials & manufacturing processes](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/materials-and-processes)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Medical & health devices](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/medical-devices)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Touchlab (company)
- Tacto (product)
- National Robotarium (other)
- UK RAS STEPS (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Event-Driven E-Skins Protect Both Robots and Humans](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-07-08-event-driven-e-skins-protect-both-robots-and-humans) (EE Times Current)
- [Digitizing Human Touch and Feel w/ Youssef Benmokhtar](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2023-10-03-digitizing-human-touch-and-feel-w-youssef-benmokhtar) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [Event-Driven E-Skins Protect Both Robots and Humans](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2025-07-08-event-driven-e-skins-protect-both-robots-and-humans-6d461685) (EE Times Current)
- [178. Talk to The Hand: Meet The Robots With a Human Touch](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2024-06-11-178-talk-to-the-hand-meet-the-robots-with-a-human-touch) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [63. Immune System Inspired AI & Electric Skin](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2022-03-29-63-immune-system-inspired-ai-electric-skin) (The Next Byte Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/robot-talk/2026-09-21-bonus-episode-giving-robots-the-power-of-human-touch. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Robot Talk.