Microchip Enhances Robotic Tactile Sensing with High-Speed Capacitance Digitizer

CHANDLER, Ariz., Nov. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Reliable robotic manipulation requires more than vision, particularly when handling soft, fragile or irregular objects. Cameras can locate an object, but tactile sensing provides the contact information needed to determine how firmly it is held and whether it is beginning to slip. Microchip Technology (Nasdaq: MCHP) has introduced the ATFCD52 high-speed capacitance digitizer to convert signals from fine-grid, two-dimensional capacitive sensor arrays into high-sensitivity digital data. An external processor can use this data to calculate normal and shear forces, helping robotic grippers and dexterous humanoid hands adjust how they grasp and manipulate objects.

“Robots have become increasingly capable of seeing and understanding their surroundings, but the ability to feel and respond to physical contact remains a critical challenge,” said Giovanni Fontana, senior director of Microchip’s human machine interface division. “The ATFCD52 is designed to deliver the real-time tactile data that serves as a foundation for the development of more dexterous robots and the advancement of physical AI.”