Force-torque sensors and joint encoders
Michael Joseph · Founder, Iapyx Labs
Updated September 7, 2026
Six-axis force-torque sensors are now treated as standard equipment on high-performance humanoids, mounted at wrist, ankle, sole and hand for balance and contact-rich manipulation. The supplier field is split between European specialists (Bota Systems) and Chinese sensor houses (SRI, Hypersen); I did not retrieve a verifiable last-60-day pricing or capacity disclosure for this category.
Key findings
- A supplier overview updated 3 August 2026 states six-axis force-torque sensors have become standard equipment on high-performance humanoid robots, typically installed at the wrist, ankle, sole or hand for motion planning, posture adjustment and force sensing.
- Bota Systems markets 6-axis force-torque sensors explicitly built for humanoid, medical and collaborative robots requiring fast, precise joint control, and offers custom sensor development from feasibility to prototype in weeks.
- SRI Instruments announced an ultra-thin six-axis force sensor (M4312B) with an 80 N / 1.2 Nm range and 1% F.S. accuracy - a datapoint on how thin multi-axis F/T packaging has become.
- Hypersen's HPS-FT series six-axis force-torque sensors have been in the market since 2016 and are marketed into humanoid rotating-joint applications.
- A components analysis argues the F/T sensor IC supply chain for humanoid wrist and ankle sensing is less severely constrained than tactile array supply, which it describes as having no commercial-scale supply as of Q1 2026.
Sources
- https://www.sino-insts.com/force-torque-sensor-for-robots/
- https://botasys.com/
- https://www.srisensor.com/humanoid-robot-force-torque-sensor/
- https://en.hypersen.com/application/six-axis-force-torque-sensors-the-force-sensing-technology-for-humanoid-robots/
- https://semiconductorx.com/force-torque-sensor-ics.html