XELA Robotics deepens U.S. market commitment with Plug and Play investment and new sensor capabilities

XELA Robotics, a specialist in advanced 3D tactile sensors that give robots a human sense of touch, is accelerating its expansion in the United States.

The company today announced two major enhancements to its uSkin® sensor family — developed in direct response to feedback from its growing U.S. customer base — alongside a strategic investment from Plug and Play and its return to the Robotics Summit & Expo in Boston.

Two Major Sensor Enhancements

The first sensor enhancement, magnetic interference compensation, removes even the most complex magnetic interference from nearby magnets or ferromagnetic materials – critical for the handling of iron and other metals in factories as well as for specialized parts including magnetic clips. It goes well beyond the prior add-on option which removed most magnetic interference other than for strong, small magnets nearly touching the sensors.

Its second new development is the implementation of CAN FD (Controller Area Network Flexible Data-Rate), a modern high-speed communication protocol. CAN FD enables the use of more sensor modules in the same data line without a reduction in frequency due to increased data transfer rates (up to 8 Mbps) and larger payloads (frames can hold up to 64 bytes instead of the 8-byte limit in CAN). It essentially minimizes the risk of sensor overload caused by touching too many sensing points at the same time.

With the additional option of CAN FD, XELA Robotics' improved sensors and microcontrollers will be available for many more form factors and provide 500 Hz measurements even faster than before.

"The U.S. is a critical market for us, and we've been listening closely to what our customers there need," said Alexander Schmitz, CEO, XELA Robotics. "Further reducing magnetic interference and supporting more sensors on a robotic hand or gripper without sacrificing frequency were high on the list. These enhancements answer those requests directly, and they will benefit our customers across Asia and Europe as well."

Plug and Play Makes Strategic Investment in XELA Robotics

Plug and Play, headquartered in Silicon Valley, is the leading innovation platform, connecting startups, corporations, venture capital firms, universities, and government agencies. It has made a strategic investment in XELA Robotics. In addition to the undisclosed investment, the organization will support XELA Robotics with high-level introductions to potential customer and partner organizations.