Touchence

What Touchence does

Touchence Inc. (タッチエンス株式会社) is a Japanese fab-less tactile sensor company founded in April 2011 and headquartered in Yokohama (previously Taito-ku, Tokyo). The company develops and commercializes MEMS-based tactile sensing technology across three core product families: Shokac Cube, a soft sponge-based sensor where the sponge itself is the sensing element and measures 3D deformation with built-in auto-calibration; Shokac Chip, claimed to be the world's smallest fingertip-sized multi-axis tactile sensor (9×9×5mm) offering up to 6-axis force detection manufactured on 8-inch MEMS wafers; and Shokac Probe, based on licensed Kagawa University JST-CREST technology, which measures tactile feel/texture by simultaneously detecting surface irregularities and friction force changes. The product portfolio spans 3-axis and 6-axis variants, multiple force ranges (8N to 100N), and standard communication protocols (I2C, SPI, UART, RS485).

The company monetizes through four streams: (1) hardware sales of standard sensor components across Cube, Chip, and Probe lines, plus original branded products including Shokac Shoes (sensor-equipped footwear for gait analysis) and THE CELL MUSIC GEAR (a flexible 3D touchpad musical instrument crowdfunded via Indiegogo at 192% of target); (2) custom/OEM sensor development, with over 200 completed projects across robotics, automotive, medical, beauty, sports, gaming, and wearable industries; (3) technology licensing, including inbound licenses from Kagawa University and the University of Tokyo's Shimoyama Laboratory as well as outbound licensing of Touchence's own technologies; and (4) channel sales through partners including S.P.S Store (SATAKE Group) and, effective March 1, 2024, SEKISUI CHEMICAL and its subsidiary SEKISUI POLYMATECH, which now handle the development and sales of the transferred tactile sensor business.

Touchence serves a horizontally diversified customer base including Japanese academic and research institutions (Juntendo University, RIKEN, University of Tokyo, Kyushu University, University of Tsukuba, Keio University, Toyama Prefectural University, Kagawa University), industrial robotics developers, automotive interior sensing integrators, medical device makers, beauty/cosmetics brands, sports performance analysts, and consumer product developers. The company has been recognized with the 2020 Invention Grand Prize from the Japan Society for the Advancement of Inventions, the 2022 Tokyo Metropolitan Government Venture Technology Award (Special Prize for Shokac Shoes), and the 2023 CEATEC AWARD Device Department Grand Prize. Cumulative external funding totals approximately ¥213.5 million across two rounds in 2018–2019, and the company has publicly targeted ¥100 billion in sales by 2025.

Name

Touchence

Legal name

タッチエンス株式会社

Website

https://touchence.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Touchence is a Japanese fab-less MEMS tactile sensor company offering the Shokac product family (Cube, Chip, Probe) and custom sensor modules to robotics, automotive, medical, beauty, sports, and wearable customers across more than 200 custom deployments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Yokohama

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Revenue model

1. Tactile Sensor Hardware Sales: Sale of proprietary tactile sensor products including Shokac Cube, Shokac Chip, and Shokac Probe series. Sensors are sold as components for integration into customer products (robotics, automotive, medical devices, wearables) and as part of complete measurement systems. Multiple product variants are offered at different price points (different force ranges and form factors).
2. Custom/OEM Sensor Development: Touchence designs and develops custom sensor modules, measurement units, and specialized products tailored to individual customer business needs. With over 200 custom product deployments across diverse industries, Touchence handles the full process from requirements gathering to productization, including sensor customization, modularization, and unit creation. Costs and labor overhead are reduced compared to individual sensor purchase.
3. Original Branded Products: Development and sale of original branded products leveraging proprietary sensor technology, including Sensor Shoes (Shokac Shoes) for gait analysis and sports applications, and THE CELL MUSIC GEAR (CMG) flexible 3D touchpad music instrument. Products are sold directly and through crowdfunding platforms.
4. Technology Licensing: Touchence holds license agreements for core technologies including Kagawa University's MEMS tactile sensor and tactile feel evaluation technologies (JST-CREST project). The company licenses out its own technologies and serves as both a licensor and licensee in the tactile sensor ecosystem.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

No substantive information about the company's core offerings is present in the provided input material.

Product overview

Touchence is a Japanese tactile sensor company offering a portfolio of three core sensor product lines: Shokac Cube (soft sponge-based tactile sensors for 3D displacement measurement), Shokac Chip (world's smallest fingertip-sized multi-axis MEMS-based force sensors), and Shokac Probe (texture/tactile feel measurement sensors inspired by human fingerprints). The company also develops original products including Shokac Shoes (sensor-equipped footwear for gait analysis) and THE CELL MUSIC GEAR (musical instrument with flexible 3D touchpad). Beyond standard products, Touchence offers custom sensor module development services with over 200 completed projects across robotics, automotive, medical, beauty, and sports industries. The product lineup includes multiple variants within each sensor line (e.g., SD, TN, RT, FP for Shokac Cube; 6DoF and 3-axis variants for Shokac Chip) with various communication interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, RS485).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shokac Cube (ショッカクキューブ): Soft tactile sensor - sponge itself is a sensor capable of measuring deformation in three directions
• Shokac Chip (ショッカクチップ)
• Shokac Probe (ショッカクプローブ)
• Shokac Shoes (ショッカクシューズ)
• THE CELL MUSIC GEAR (CMG)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 200 custom product deployments across robotics, automotive, medical, beauty, sports, gaming, and wearable industries
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments7 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD. (積水化学工業株式会社)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Effective March 1, 2024, Touchence transferred its tactile sensor business to SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD. SEKISUI CHEMICAL plans to develop the business going forward. This represents a significant business restructuring where SEKISUI acquired Touchence's core tactile sensor business operations.
• SEKISUI POLYMATECH CO., LTD. (積水ポリマテック株式会社)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2024A subsidiary of SEKISUI CHEMICAL, SEKISUI POLYMATECH CO., LTD. handles sales of the transferred tactile sensor business from March 1, 2024. Contact: 8-10-1 Tajima, Sakura-ku, Saitama-city, Saitama 338-0837, Japan. Person in charge: Kouichiro Nakata. This channel handles ongoing customer transactions for Touchence's former tactile sensor products.
• Jamir Commercial Co., Ltd. (ジャミール商事株式会社)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 December 2020Jamir Commercial Co., Ltd. is Touchence's partner for Middle East market development. They operated Touchence's booth at GITEX Global 2021 (Dubai), the largest technology conference in the Middle East, and are facilitating Touchence's international expansion into Middle Eastern and European markets.
• Kagawa University (高尾研究室 / Takao Laboratory)coreTechnology or Integration · 12 November 2019Touchence entered a license agreement with Kagawa University for MEMS tactile sensor technologies and tactile feel evaluation methods developed by Professor Takao's laboratory under the JST-CREST project JPMJCR1531. This forms the technological basis for the Shokac Probe. The license enables Touchence to develop and commercialize compact, low-cost MEMS tactile sensor devices with tactile detection capabilities exceeding human fingertip sensitivity, targeting robot, beauty, and healthcare markets.
• University of Tokyo - Shimoyama Laboratory (東京大学 下山研究室)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2018Touchence's second-generation sensors (Shokac Chip - world's smallest multi-axis tactile sensor) are based on MEMS tactile sensor technologies from the University of Tokyo's Shimoyama Laboratory. This academic partnership provided the foundational technology for Touchence's most compact sensor product.
• S.P.S Store (SATAKE Group)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorS.P.S Store, part of the SATAKE Group, is listed as a Touchence global sales partner and distributes Touchence products. Touchence sensors are available through SATAKE parts shops in Akihabara and other locations. The partnership enables retail distribution of Touchence sensors in Japan.
• Teijin Limited - FUTURE NAVIGATIONminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTouchence is featured on Teijin's 'FUTURE NAVIGATION' website as a solution provider for 'sensitivity' and 'aging' themes. The collaboration showcases Touchence's sensor technology for healthcare and aging society applications, including Shokac Shoes for gait analysis and Parkinson's disease research.
• Juntendo University, RIKEN, University of Tokyo, Kyushu UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTouchence's Shokac Shoes have been adopted for multi-institutional Parkinson's disease research conducted jointly by Juntendo University, RIKEN, Tokyo University, and Kyushu University. The research uses Shokac Shoes to acquire walking data from Parkinson's disease patients, demonstrating academic research application of Touchence's tactile sensor technology.
• University of Tsukuba - Professor Ohkura (筑波大学体育系 大藏教授)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research collaboration with University of Tsukuba's Professor Ohkura to measure 'walking physical fitness age' using Shokac Shoes. Users wear the shoes and perform four simple exercises for a few minutes, after which a smartphone app calculates walking physical fitness age. This service was released in December 2022.
• Toyama Prefectural University (富山県立大学)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerToyama Prefectural University researchers led by Professor Okuhara are using Shokac Shoes for agricultural work motion analysis in disability facilities. Additionally, Professor Tabata's research group at Toyama Prefectural University is collaborating with Aranmaré Toyama handball team to develop effective team strengthening methods using Shokac Shoes.
• Sound Designer Yoshihito Nakanishi (中西宣人)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTHE CELL MUSIC GEAR (CMG) was co-developed with sound designer Yoshihito Nakanishi, featuring a flexible 3D touchpad. Nakanishi also performed a solo live event and exhibition featuring CMG. The product was crowdfunded on Indiegogo and has been commercially released.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• SynTouch: SynTouch develops tactile sensors and biomimetic fingertip technology for robotics and prosthetics. It is a direct peer to Touchence in the robotic tactile-sensing niche, focused on the same 'tactile feel' use case that Touchence's Shokac Probe addresses.
• Interlink Electronics: Interlink Electronics designs and manufactures force-sensing resistors and other tactile/force sensors used in industrial, medical, and consumer applications. It is a direct peer to Touchence in core force- and pressure-sensing componentry.
• Tekscan: Tekscan is a US-based leader in tactile pressure and force sensing products for medical, industrial, and consumer applications. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Touchence in the force-sensor and pressure-mapping space, with comparable product breadth and end-markets.
• Contactile: Contactile is an early-stage company developing soft tactile sensors for robotic grippers. It is comparable to Touchence as a direct competitor in the soft/displacement tactile-sensing segment for robotics applications.
• XELA Robotics: XELA Robotics provides high-density tactile sensors for humanoid and dexterous robotic hands. It competes directly with Touchence's Shokac Chip in the robot-fingertip multi-axis sensing segment.
• Robotous: Robotous makes force/torque sensors and tactile sensing modules for collaborative and industrial robots. It overlaps directly with Touchence's robotic sensing customer base and product offering.

Emerging players

• Sensitronics: Sensitronics produces custom force-sensing resistors and thin-film sensors. It is comparable to Touchence in custom/OEM force-sensor deployments, though smaller and more niche in focus.
• Novel GmbH: Novel (novel.de) develops plantar pressure measurement systems and force platforms used in clinical gait analysis and sports. It is an adjacent peer to Touchence's Shokac Shoes and gait-analysis applications, focused on pressure rather than multi-axis force.

Broad incumbents

• STMicroelectronics: STMicroelectronics is a major global semiconductor manufacturer with broad MEMS sensor product lines serving industrial, automotive, and consumer markets. It is a broad incumbent that could enter tactile sensing with significantly greater resources than Touchence.
• TDK InvenSense: TDK's InvenSense division is a global leader in MEMS motion and environmental sensors, with growing interest in tactile/force sensing for robotics. As a broad incumbent, it competes with Touchence in the underlying MEMS sensor category and has the scale advantage Touchence lacks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/touchence
• Facebookfacebook.com/touchenceinc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/touchence

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Touchence