TacSense Files IPO Prospectus: Pioneering Flexible Iontronic Tactile Sensing Technology with FDA-Cleared Modules for Seamless and Precise Human Biometric Monitoring

How can we make a robot more human-like? You might answer that it should be capable of perceiving the world—able to see, hear, and speak. However, we often overlook the literal meaning of “perception,” which ought to include the sense of touch. Human senses are akin to robotic sensors; relying solely on vision and hearing is far from sufficient.

“If we set the signals received by human physical senses at 100%, vision concentrated in the eyes accounts for approximately 70%, hearing concentrated in the ears accounts for less than 5%, and tactile signals, distributed throughout the body, actually constitute 20–25% of the total information volume.” “Due to the importance of vision and the maturity of related technologies, artificial intelligence today is largely based on visual research and applications, with hearing serving as an important supplementary modality, while the development and application of tactile technology lag significantly behind.” Professor Tingrui Pan from the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Davis, believes that although tactile sensing technology has not yet fully reached the stage of comprehensive industrial application, “challenges present opportunities. The information provided by future tactile sensors, along with the tactile information required by humans, will soon surpass a technological threshold, at which point,”Haptics May Become the Next Focus of Intelligent Research After Human Vision.” This may also be one of the reasons behind the founding of Tishen Technology.

Professor Pan Tingrui’s engaging account of the invention of contactless sensing technology resembled a scientific serendipity; its success was attributable to Professor Pan’s own academic background: he had previouslyStudied Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, and subsequently earned a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Minnesota.. His interdisciplinary background provided him with significant advantages in the adventurous endeavor of inventing flexible iontronic sensing technology.

Professor Pan pointed out that they had already invented battery-free sensing technology as early as 2010. At that time, Professor Pan had been working in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Davis, for four years. While studying the lotus leaf effect, he was suddenly inspired: why not investigate force feedback by observing the vibrations of water droplets on lotus leaves when brushed by a gentle breeze? The journey from the trembling of water droplets to force feedback and ultimately to highly sensitive sensors was far more complex than one might imagine.

Common sensors incorporate elastic components that deform under compression. This deformation is converted into electrical signals via electromagnetic, optical, or thermal effects, thereby integrating force signals with electrical signals for intuitive interpretation. The uniqueness of Tishen Technology lies in its global first use of liquid as an elastomer to create flexible iontronic tactile sensors. This design also leverages the principle of electric double-layer capacitance at the molecular interface: when ions in the liquid encounter electrons in the solid, a significant interaction occurs, generating a very strong capacitive signal. Professor Pan proudly stated, “We were surprised to discover that this approach increases the sensitivity of traditional capacitive sensing devices by ten thousand-fold.”

Perhaps in recognition of Professor Pan’s research contributions to iontronic sensing technology, he became the youngest tenured full professor in his department in 2015. In the same year, he and his team received the world’s first patent authorization for iontronic sensing technology. Over the subsequent years, he led his team in continuously exploring applications of iontronic sensing technology, conducting in-depth research and analysis from multiple perspectives, including materials, design, manufacturing, and processing techniques. Ultimately, they successfully developed a flexible iontronic tactile sensor based on all-solid-state materials. Through unremitting efforts,In 2018, the international mainstream academic community reached a consensus to classify capacitive sensing as a new-generation (fourth-generation) flexible force and tactile sensing mechanism.。

In fact, Professor Pan, recognizing the immense potential of his technology, was not content to keep it confined to the research stage. In 2015, he established Tishen Technology in the San Francisco Bay Area of the United States. However, as the team prioritized research over commercialization, the industrial implementation fell short of expectations. In 2018, with the assistance of his former classmate Wang Xiaochuan, CEO of Sogou, Professor Pan reconnected with another classmate, Dr. Wang Xiaoyang, a professional manager, and forged a partnership with the Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. This ultimately led to the establishment of Tishen Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. in China. Today, Tishen Technology is headquartered in Shenzhen, with offices in Beijing and Chengdu, while its U.S. entity serves as the R&D center, enabling synergistic operations among the three.

Tishen Technology’s flexible capacitive tactile sensing technology clearly has potential that extends far beyond the medical field, encompassing consumer electronics, robotics, and intelligent vehicles. To truly understand the application domains and scenarios of capacitive tactile sensors, we must return to their technical characteristics.

Based on his research into previous sensor technologies, Professor Pan pointed out that first-generation resistive sensors offer low sensitivity but also low cost, amounting to only a few dimes. Second-generation capacitive sensors achieve high sensitivity while resolving issues related to dynamic response. Third-generation piezoelectric sensors require specialized materials; they generate voltage in response to deformation and conversely deform when voltage is applied, offering higher sensitivity than the previous two generations. However, a key limitation exists: “When you grasp a cup, it can detect the pressure at the moment of gripping, but it cannot determine whether you are continuing to hold the cup or have set it down.” Because these sensors can only detect relative changes, their applicability is significantly constrained. Moreover, they entail high production costs.

Professor Pan’s pioneering off-power sensing technology has, in fact, undergone multiple iterations. Initially, the team employed liquid-based sensors. “Although they were novel and visually appealing, they were impractical. Moreover, fabrication was cumbersome, as each liquid sensor required the incorporation of droplets. Technical challenges such as force limitations, size constraints, and liquid evaporation also needed to be addressed.” Subsequently, the focus gradually shifted from developing liquid sensing materials to fully solid-state material-based sensors. Considering the potential need for distributed contact surface measurements during monitoring, the team further expanded the sensor design from a single-point configuration to an array-based format.

Compared with the first three generations of tactile sensing technologies, Tishen Technology’s capacitive-off tactile sensor offers significantly distinct advantages.The first advantage lies in the high transparency of its off-state materials, which allows device modules to be applied to a wide variety of surfaces while maintaining the performance characteristics of previous materials and achieving visual synergy. The second advantage is that the contact interface and functional layers within the sensor require a thickness of only 1–2 nanometers; this enables the materials to be designed as extremely thin films, facilitating nanoscale coverage and significantly reducing manufacturing costs.Capacitive tactile sensors also boast ultra-high device sensitivity. Compared with piezoelectric sensors, which are similarly highly sensitive, their unique self-filtering characteristic enables them toFeatures robust environmental noise resistance and absolute pressure detection capabilities.. Capacitive sensors capable of real-time force sensing allow for integration into a wider range of application scenarios.

Professor Pan believes that capacitive tactile sensors will be developed and deployed in the following three directions:1. Enable electronic skin and digitized tactile perception; 2. Achieve digital sensing of internal human physiological signals; 3. Endow traditional objects with new tactile perception capabilities.Tishen Technology has also conducted in-depth research and development and made exploratory efforts in these areas.

Professor Pan pointed out that digital perception and haptic perception mainly involve the sensing of physiological data such as pressure inside and outside the body, blood pressure, intraocular pressure, and pulse beats. For instance, digital perception can monitor gastrointestinal motility when there is digestive discomfort. In the past, this was impossible to measure, but Tishen Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., by employing capacitive sensing technology and collaborating with internationally leading capsule robot manufacturers, is developing a new generation ofCapsule Robot: Monitoring Gastrointestinal Peristalsis; inCardiovascular Surgery FieldIn most surgical procedures, intubation is required; however, it relies solely on the physician’s experience, which may cause certain injuries. If digital tactile perception with haptic feedback were available, such injuries could be reduced; for example, applying this technology toPostpartum Rehabilitation Monitoring for WomenWait.

For patients with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, as well as those with cardiovascular conditions, Tishen Technology offers a suite of physiological data monitoring solutions. Compared to conventional sensors based on PPG modules, Tishen Technology’s battery-free tactile sensing technology delivers superior accuracy, and wearable devices incorporating this technology are typically imperceptible during use.Tishen Technology Unveils Smart Shoes at CES, the World’s First Product Capable of Monitoring Heart Rate, Respiration, Blood Pressure Variations, and Exercise Status. The Haptic Feedback Module Inside the Shoes Has Received FDA Clearance.Because the relevant meridians in the legs control foot movements, arrayed sensors can evenAccurately capture walking posture and status.In terms of pulse monitoring, Tishen Technology has made significant advancements and can effectively monitor pulse waves. Regarding blood pressure, traditional measurements relied on occlusion methods, but Tishen TechnologyAllows for continuous monitoring of human blood pressure under low-pressure conditions.。

Wang Xiaoyang quoted the CEO of Huami Technology, emphasizing, “If one is truly serious about holistic health, one must start with sensors.” “Currently, the data measured by Tishen Technology boasts higher precision. Some may consider this redundant. However, you cannot determine which specific high-precision data point might be correlated with a disease.” Tishen Technology, through itsMiniaturized, Unobtrusive, and Precise Sensor ModulesContinuously collecting these data.

Endowing traditional objects with new tactile sensing capabilities can be exemplified by rehabilitation for individuals with disabilities. For instance, some blind individuals, while learning Braille, canRead the touched text aloud to him directly through haptic feedback.More importantly, transforming the surrounding environment into one that provides haptic feedback can offer convenience to individuals with partial sensory impairments. In fact, Tishen Technology has made some attempts in the field of prosthetics; however, how to effectively interface electrical signals with neural signals remains a challenge requiring long-term exploration.

Furthermore, regarding emotion perception, Professor Pan stated that smart glasses equipped with capacitive sensing technology can assess users’ current levels of attention, fatigue, and physiological signals, while also monitoring neural signals.For adolescents and the elderly who are unable to self-express, affective computing can precisely identify their emotional fluctuations, thereby better assisting patients and providing early warnings in critical situations.

In fact, Tishen Technology is currently collaborating with certain listed companies, such as Shenzhen LifeTech Medical.Some consumer-grade products are already being shipped, while medical-grade sensor products are in Phase III clinical trials.For Tishen Technology, it plays the role of an underlying technology platform.

Tishen Technology aims to attract partnerships with other companies through the deployment of practical applications, offering customized solutions for collaborative engagements.For instance, when users aim to study autism or mania, Tishen Technology adopts an academic approach by first identifying relevant diagnostic indicators and then leveraging technical analysis to determine whether continuous data monitoring of these indicators is feasible. Subsequently, small-scale pilot tests are conducted, followed by large-scale clinical trials to ensure safety and accuracy.

Tishen Technology has currently made certain forays into the medical field and is exploring whether, in addition to capsule robots, it can empower cardiovascular surgical instruments and endoscopic devices. Professor Pan Tingrui stated, “Imaging alone is insufficient during surgery; sensors providing force feedback are necessary to truly perceive tissue stiffness.” Furthermore, for conditions such as depression and autism, manufacturers need to empower these technologies to provide more comprehensive data monitoring, which is essential for ultimately gaining a competitive edge in the market.

Wang Xiaoyang stated that although Tishen Technology, as a founding member of the Medical Sensor Alliance, possesses certain technical strengths and influence, the widespread implementation of the entire industry cannot be achieved by a single company. It still requires the joint participation of enterprises across the upstream and downstream supply chains. The company also hopes to engage with more industry players to collectively expand the market. Currently, Tishen TechnologyPreparing for Series A+ financing, with plans to promote Tishen Technology while establishing its own production line to ensure the quality and craftsmanship of mass production., build a solutions team to refine its own products.

Professor Pan Tingrui stated, “In the future, the linkage from medical sensing to health data will not be based solely on traditional hospitals and patients, but rather on the strong, real-time connection between intelligence and every individual.” This also implies significant potential for future development.