Contact CI

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).

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

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

• Haptic gloves
• Force feedback
• Teleoperation systems
• Physical AI
• Imitation learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. SDK Licensing:
3. 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

Core 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

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Minerva HumanoidscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner featured in customer logos section, developing humanoid robotics solutions and leveraging CONTACT's force capture technology for dexterity training and hand control.
• USAF SimulatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerU.S. Air Force simulators program using Maestro EP for XR training simulation. Customer testimonial confirms haptic glove as critical for telepresence hands.
• Foundation RoboticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRobotics research partner featured in customer logos, utilizing CONTACT technology for robotics development applications.
• AltbionicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBionic hand developer leveraging CONTACT's haptic technology for testing and development of prosthetic/robotic hand systems.
• Air Force Nuclear Weapons CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDefense customer using CONTACT technology for training simulation and teleoperation applications in high-stakes environments.
• Cincinnati Children's HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare partner using Maestro EP for medical training and simulation applications, demonstrating healthcare sector adoption.
• Air Force Materiel CommandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerU.S. Air Force Materiel Command using CONTACT technology for training simulation and skill development programs.
• Air Force Life Cycle Management CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDefense customer using Maestro EP for training simulation applications within the Air Force acquisition lifecycle.
• Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL GRILL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGaming 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/Contact_CI
• Facebookfacebook.com/contactci
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/contactci

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

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 Contact CI