Contact CI
Contact CI builds the Maestro EP haptic glove, a patented exotendon-based wearable that captures and displays force for humanoid robotics, imitation learning, haptic teleoperation, and defense simulation customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersCincinnati, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Contact CI does
Contact CI (dba CONTACT), founded in 2014 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, is a private hardware-and-software company that builds the Maestro EP haptic glove, a wearable device based on its patented exotendon architecture. The system uses motor-and-spool actuation at the wrist with ultra-low friction tendons routed along the hand to capture and display force through per-finger paths, providing 23 DoF motion capture and 10N dynamic force per finger with a sub-15ms feedback loop in a ~400g wearable form factor. The company addresses Physical AI programs that need force, contact, and grip signals that vision-only and motion-only systems cannot measure, targeting humanoid robotics developers, robotic hand designers, imitation learning researchers, haptic teleoperation operators, simulation/digital twin teams, and defense training organizations.
The platform combines Maestro EP hardware, the Maestro SDK (Unity, Unreal Engine, and native C++ integration paths), and a Windows-based Contact CI Manager/Service runtime, with native integrations for Meta Quest, Varjo, and Ultraleap. Contact CI generates revenue through enterprise hardware sales, SDK licensing, and professional services for integration and deployment support, using a consultative direct-sales motion with quote-based pricing. Deployed customers include five U.S. Air Force organizations for training simulation and teleoperation, Cincinnati Children's Hospital for medical simulation, and humanoid and prosthetic robotics developers including Minerva Humanoids, Foundation Robotics, and Altbionics. The Maestro EP platform is ITAR-ready for defense deployment and is protected by two granted U.S. patents (10,137,362 B2 and 11,422,624 B2).
Contact CI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Contact CI
- Legal name
- Contact CI
- Website
- https://contactci.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Contact CI builds the Maestro EP haptic glove, a patented exotendon-based wearable that captures and displays force for humanoid robotics, imitation learning, haptic teleoperation, and defense simulation customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Contact CI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Haptic Feedback Hardware
- NAICS
- Computer Terminal and Other Computer Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing (334118)
- SIC
- Computer Peripheral Equipment, Nec (3577)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Assistive & Accessibility Input Devices (Switches, Adaptive Controllers, Braille Keyboards) (HDACAFAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Computer Access & Alternative Input (Switch, Eye Gaze, Head/Mouse, Keyboards) (EDAKAIAD)
Keywords
Where Contact CI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cincinnati
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Contact CI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Maestro EP Hardware Sales: Sale of Maestro EP haptic glove hardware system including wearable components, wrist module, and bundled software. Enterprise pricing with custom configurations for different use cases.
- SDK Licensing:
- Professional Services: Custom integration, deployment support, and training services for enterprise customers implementing Maestro EP in their Physical AI programs.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Contact CI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Contact CI designs, manufactures, and sells the Maestro EP haptic glove, a patented exotendon-based wearable that captures human hand motion, force, and contact signals and provides bidirectional force feedback. The platform includes the Maestro SDK (Unity, Unreal, native C++) and Contact CI Manager/Service runtime for integrating force-rich dexterity data into Physical AI training pipelines, haptic teleoperation systems, and VR/XR simulation training programs.
Product overview
Contact CI offers a unified hardware-plus-software platform centered on Maestro EP, a patented exotendon-based haptic glove for Physical AI applications. The platform integrates the Exotendon subsystem (wrist module with motor-spool actuation, tendon routing, and on-board compute), Maestro SDK (Unity, Unreal, and C++ integration paths with finger-level force authoring), and Contact CI Manager/Service runtime on Windows. These components together enable dexterity data capture for imitation learning, haptic teleoperation with sub-15ms force-feedback loops, and VR/XR simulation training — forming what the company calls the "force layer" for Physical AI.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Maestro EP: Haptic glove product featuring patented exotendon technology for capturing and displaying force for Physical AI applications.
- ExoTendon
- Dexterity Flywheel
- Maestro SDK
Products and services
- Maestro EP Haptic Glove
Quantifiable outcome
- 2-3x faster skill acquisition in XR training with force feedback
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Contact CI
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Contact CI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature5 records
Contact CI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Minerva HumanoidscorePartner featured in customer logos section, developing humanoid robotics solutions and leveraging CONTACT's force capture technology for dexterity training and hand control.
- USAF SimulatorscoreU.S. Air Force simulators program using Maestro EP for XR training simulation. Customer testimonial confirms haptic glove as critical for telepresence hands.
- Foundation RoboticscoreRobotics research partner featured in customer logos, utilizing CONTACT technology for robotics development applications.
- AltbionicscoreBionic hand developer leveraging CONTACT's haptic technology for testing and development of prosthetic/robotic hand systems.
- Air Force Nuclear Weapons CentercoreDefense customer using CONTACT technology for training simulation and teleoperation applications in high-stakes environments.
- Cincinnati Children's HospitalcoreHealthcare partner using Maestro EP for medical training and simulation applications, demonstrating healthcare sector adoption.
- Air Force Materiel CommandcoreU.S. Air Force Materiel Command using CONTACT technology for training simulation and skill development programs.
- Air Force Life Cycle Management CentercoreDefense customer using Maestro EP for training simulation applications within the Air Force acquisition lifecycle.
- Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL GRILL)coreGaming Research Integration for Learning Laboratory under AFRL, using CONTACT technology for research and development in simulation and training.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Contact CI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HaptX: HaptX builds enterprise haptic gloves with microfluidic force feedback for VR/AR training, robotics teleoperation, and industrial design. Closest direct competitor to Contact CI's Maestro EP, with overlapping enterprise customers in automotive, manufacturing, and defense.
- Manus (formerly Manus VR): Manus makes VR motion-capture and haptic gloves, now operating within Meta's Reality Labs division. Competes with Contact CI in motion tracking for XR and is integrated into Meta's broader XR ecosystem, creating both partnership and competitive overlap.
Emerging players
- SynTouch: SynTouch develops tactile sensors and BioTac sensor technology that capture force and contact information for robotic manipulation. Highly relevant adjacent peer addressing the same 'force blind spot' in Physical AI through a sensor modality rather than wearable exotendon capture.
- Shadow Robot: Shadow Robot manufactures dexterous robotic hands and grasps used in robotics research, AI training, and teleoperation. Direct overlap with Contact CI's humanoid and dexterous manipulation customer base, and a potential partner for force-feedback teleoperation stacks.
- PSYONIC: PSYONIC develops advanced bionic prosthetic hands with touch feedback for amputees. Direct overlap with Contact CI's work with Altbionics and shares the haptic feedback and force-sensing technical challenges, though serving a different end-user segment.
- Open Bionics: Open Bionics develops affordable bionic arms with multi-grip functionality. Relevant comparable in the haptic prosthetic and dexterous hand space, with shared technical challenges around force feedback and lightweight wearable design.
Broad incumbents
- Ultraleap: Ultraleap provides mid-air hand tracking and haptic technology used in XR, automotive, and retail. Already integrated as a partner with Contact CI via Maestro SDK, Ultraleap represents both collaboration and an alternative hand-tracking modality for the same enterprise buyers.
- Varjo: Varjo builds high-fidelity XR headsets for enterprise, defense simulation, and industrial training. Listed as an integrated partner with Contact CI (Maestro SDK supports Varjo + Ultraleap pipelines), Varjo represents an important distribution channel and adjacent ecosystem player.
- BeBionic: BeBionic (Ottobock) manufactures advanced myoelectric prosthetic hands used globally. Adjacent peer in the dexterous wearable space with significant distribution scale, representing both a customer opportunity and a competitor for healthcare applications.
Others
- Tangram Vision: Tangram Vision provides 3D sensor fusion and perception infrastructure for robotics and XR. Adjacent infrastructure peer that competes for engineering budget at the same robotics and Physical AI customers, though it operates upstream of wearable haptic capture.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Contact CI social profiles
Digital presenceContact CI compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Contact CI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Contact CI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Contact CI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Contact CI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Contact CI
What does Contact CI do?
Contact CI designs, manufactures, and sells the Maestro EP haptic glove, a patented exotendon-based wearable that captures human hand motion, force, and contact signals and provides bidirectional force feedback. The platform includes the Maestro SDK (Unity, Unreal, native C++) and Contact CI Manager/Service runtime for integrating force-rich dexterity data into Physical AI training pipelines, haptic teleoperation systems, and VR/XR simulation training programs.
Is Contact CI a public or private company?
Contact CI is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Contact CI founded?
Contact CI was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Contact CI based?
Contact CI is headquartered in Cincinnati, United States, in the North America region.
How does Contact CI make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Maestro EP Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are SDK Licensing and professional Services.
Who are Contact CI's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HaptX and Manus (formerly Manus VR). Emerging players are SynTouch, Shadow Robot, PSYONIC and Open Bionics. Broad incumbents are Ultraleap, Varjo and BeBionic. Tangram Vision is listed as an others.
Does Contact CI have an API?
No public API is recorded for Contact CI.
What industry is Contact CI in?
Contact CI's product category is Haptic Feedback Hardware. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDACAFAL, Assistive & Accessibility Input Devices (Switches, Adaptive Controllers, Braille Keyboards), with a secondary code of EDAKAIAD, Computer Access & Alternative Input (Switch, Eye Gaze, Head/Mouse, Keyboards). Its NAICS code is 334118 and its SIC code is 3577.