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Overview
Force-torque (F/T) sensors mounted at the robot wrist between arm and end effector measure the six-component wrench (three forces, three torques) applied at the tool center point. This feedback enables robots to perform compliant manipulation tasks — assembly with tight tolerances, grinding and deburring, polishing, safe physical human-robot contact — that are impossible with position control alone. The force-torque sensor market is a high-value, defensible niche with limited competition: ATI Industrial Automation (US), Robotiq (Canada), and Bota Systems (Switzerland) are the dominant players with ROS 2 support, while JR3 (US) is community-supported.
Companies
Startups & Development Partners
| Company | HQ | Stage | Mission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bota Systems | Zürich, Switzerland | Growth (ETH Zürich spinout) | SensONE family of compact F/T sensors with on-board signal processing and EtherCAT/USB/SPI interfaces; vendor-supported ROS 2 driver. |
| Robotiq | Lévis, Québec, Canada | Private (acquired by OnRobot 2023) | FT 300S force-torque sensor; integrated with Robotiq gripper ecosystem and Universal Robots e-Series; Gold MoveIt Pro integration via PickNik. |
Incumbents
| Ticker | Company | Relevance |
|---|---|---|
| ATI Industrial Automation | Apex, NC, USA (Novanta subsidiary) | World’s largest F/T sensor manufacturer; Gamma, Delta, Theta series; used in surgical robots, industrial assembly, and precision manufacturing; no public ROS 2 driver. |
| JR3 | Woodland, CA, USA | Long-established F/T sensor maker; community-supported ROS 2 driver (rosjr3). |