Best force-torque sensors for robots, 2026.
Force sensing is what turns a blind robot arm into a hand that can feel — enabling assembly insertions, press-fits, and surface finishing that pure position control can't do. A vendor-neutral comparison of the 6-axis force-torque sensors and active compliance tools shops actually deploy, with how to choose, what they cost, and where each fits.
The specs that actually matter for force sensing.
Force sensing is contact-critical work — so the numbers you weigh differ from those for a bare arm or a gripper.
Sensing type
The first fork: a 6-axis F/T sensor that measures forces and torques for the controller to act on, or an active compliance device that regulates contact force itself. Assembly leans on the former; finishing on the latter.
Measurement range & resolution
The maximum force/torque it can read and the smallest change it can resolve. A wide range suits heavy press-fits or material removal; fine resolution suits delicate insertions where a few newtons matter.
Robot compatibility
Whether a brand-specific mounting and software kit exists for your arm. Cobot-ready sensors ship with plates, cables, and URCaps or plugins that make integration plug-and-play instead of a custom project.
Overload protection
The mechanical margin before a crash damages the sensor. Higher overload capacity is critical for contact-rich or abrasive work where unexpected forces are routine.
Interface & software
How the data reaches the controller — EtherCAT, Ethernet/IP, analog, or a vendor plugin — and what force-control routines ship with it. Good software is often what turns raw force data into a working insertion.
Application fit
Precise assembly and press-fits vs. constant-force surface finishing pull toward different tools. Matching the device to the job matters more than any single headline number.
Sensor, compliance flange, or built-in.
| Category | Best for | Strength | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-axis F/T sensors | Assembly insertions, press-fits, teaching | Accurate, general-purpose force/torque sensing | Controller must close the loop; no force of its own |
| Active compliance flanges | Surface finishing, polishing, deburring | Holds constant contact force, absorbs position error | Purpose-built for finishing, not precise assembly |
| Built-in robot force sensing | Hand-guiding, light assembly | No extra hardware; joint-torque sensing included | Generally less accurate than a dedicated wrist sensor |
| Compliance / deburring spindles | Heavy material removal, grinding | Integrated tool + force regulation for abrasive work | Task-specific; larger and heavier at the wrist |
Force-sensing tools, side by side.
Grouped by category and listed alphabetically within each — not ranked. Figures and capabilities are nominal; verify against current datasheets for your exact model and robot.
| Product | Maker | Category | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| ATI Axia / Nano / Gamma | ATI Industrial Automation | 6-axis F/T | The industry standard, research to industrial |
| Bota Systems Rokubi / MiniONE | Bota Systems | 6-axis F/T | Compact, research and OEM integration |
| OnRobot HEX | OnRobot | 6-axis F/T | Cobot plug-and-play force sensing |
| Robotiq FT 300 | Robotiq | 6-axis F/T | Cobot assembly and hand-guiding |
| Schunk FT | Schunk | 6-axis F/T | Industrial force/torque sensing |
| FerRobotics Active Contact Flange | FerRobotics | Active compliance | Constant-force surface finishing |
| PushCorp AFD / STC | PushCorp | Active compliance | Heavy material removal, force device & spindles |
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Four makers worth knowing well.
ATI Industrial Automation — the F/T sensor standard
ATI is the long-standing reference for robot force-torque sensing, spanning tiny Nano units to rugged industrial Gamma models and the cobot-friendly Axia line. Its sensors are the ones you see in research labs and demanding production alike, backed by mounting kits and interfaces for essentially every major robot brand. If you want a proven, accurate 6-axis sensor and a safe baseline, ATI is where most engineers start.
OnRobot HEX & Robotiq FT 300 — plug-and-play cobot force
OnRobot's HEX and Robotiq's FT 300 exist to make force sensing easy on collaborative robots. Both ship with brand-specific mounting and software — URCaps for Universal Robots and plugins for other cobots — so an insertion or hand-guiding routine is a configuration step rather than a custom integration. They trade some of the raw accuracy and range of a top industrial sensor for speed of deployment, which is exactly the right trade for most cobot assembly cells.
FerRobotics Active Contact Flange — constant-force finishing
The FerRobotics ACF is an active compliance flange that regulates contact force with its own pneumatic actuator, holding a set force against a surface regardless of small position errors in the robot's path. That makes it purpose-built for polishing, sanding, and deburring, where a rigid programmed path would gouge or skip. It senses and applies force in one device, so the robot follows the real part instead of an idealized model.
PushCorp — heavy material-removal compliance
PushCorp builds active force devices (AFD) and compliant spindles (STC) aimed at robotic grinding, deburring, and finishing at industrial force levels. The tool actively controls contact force and absorbs position error, so the robot can remove material consistently across parts that vary. Where FerRobotics leans lighter and finishing-focused, PushCorp is a common choice when the material-removal forces get heavy.
Which tool fits your job.
| If you… | Consider… | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Do precise assembly insertions or press-fits | 6-axis F/T sensor (ATI, OnRobot, Robotiq) | Accurate force/torque for controller-closed insertion loops |
| Need constant-force surface finishing | Active compliance flange (FerRobotics, PushCorp) | Holds steady contact force and absorbs position error |
| Work in research or need a compact sensor | Bota Systems | Small footprint, easy OEM and research integration |
| Want force without a separate sensor | A cobot with built-in force sensing (e.g. KUKA LBR iiwa) | Joint-torque sensing reduces the need for an add-on wrist sensor |
Force sensing turns a robot into a hand.
A bare robot arm moves to positions blindly — it has no idea whether it just seated a bearing or crushed it. A force-torque sensor or active compliance tool is the sense of touch that makes contact-rich work possible: finding a hole, seating a connector, following a curved surface at constant pressure. For anything where the robot has to feel its way rather than follow a fixed path, the force-sensing tool is not an accessory — it is the part that makes the task work at all.
Which tool you need follows the task. Precise, controller-driven mating favors a 6-axis F/T sensor; steady, self-correcting contact against a surface favors an active compliance device. If you're scoping the arm and cell around it, see our companion guides to assembly robots and finishing robots.
Ten questions to ask before choosing a force sensor.
- Is my task precise assembly or surface finishing — which family does it need?
- Do I want a 6-axis F/T sensor or an active compliance device?
- Does the measurement range and resolution match my forces?
- Is there a mounting and software kit for my robot brand?
- What is the overload protection for crashes and abrasive work?
- What interface and force-control software ships with it?
- Could my robot's built-in force sensing do the job without an add-on?
- How does it mount, and what does it add to wrist payload and length?
- What is the all-in cost, including integration and software?
- Where is support, and how deep is the integration help?
We deliver the contact-aware cell, not just the sensor.
Relling builds turnkey, AI-native precision-assembly workcells — the arm plus force sensing, vision, tooling, fixturing, safety, and programming, scoped and qualified off-site and running on your floor in weeks. Closed-loop force and vision adapt to each part, so contact-rich insertions and high-mix work become a software reconfiguration instead of a re-fixture. If you'd rather deploy a qualified assembly system than integrate a bare sensor yourself, that's what we do.
See how the Relling assembly workcell works →Frequently asked questions.
What is the best force-torque sensor for robots?
There is no single best force-torque sensor — the right one depends on your robot, your process, and how much force you need to measure. ATI Industrial Automation is the long-standing industry standard for 6-axis F/T sensors and is widely used in research and demanding industrial work. For plug-and-play force on collaborative robots, OnRobot HEX and Robotiq FT 300 are popular because they ship with brand-specific kits and software that mount and integrate quickly. For compact or research use, Bota Systems is common, and for surface finishing an active compliance device from FerRobotics or PushCorp is usually the better tool than a bare sensor.
What is a force-torque sensor used for?
A 6-axis force-torque sensor lets a robot feel the forces and torques at its wrist, which turns blind position control into contact-aware manipulation. Typical uses include assembly insertions and press-fits (finding a hole, seating a connector or bearing), polishing and deburring at a controlled contact force, hand-guiding or teaching, and detecting collisions or jams. It is the sense that lets a robot do contact-rich work that pure position control cannot.
F/T sensor vs active compliance flange — what's the difference?
A 6-axis F/T sensor measures forces and torques and hands that data to the robot controller, which decides how to react — it senses but does not itself apply force. An active compliance flange (such as a FerRobotics ACF or PushCorp AFD) actively regulates contact force with its own actuator, holding a constant force against a surface regardless of small position errors. Sensors suit precise assembly where the controller closes the loop; active compliance tools suit surface finishing where you want a steady, self-correcting contact force.
Do I need a force sensor for robotic deburring?
For consistent robotic deburring, grinding, or polishing you almost always want force control — but usually in the form of an active compliance tool rather than a bare 6-axis sensor. An active contact flange or compliant spindle holds a constant force against the part and absorbs position error, so the robot follows the real surface instead of a rigid programmed path. A plain F/T sensor can work with tight control loops, but the dedicated compliance tools are simpler and more robust for material removal.
Which robots have built-in force sensing?
Some collaborative robots include joint-torque sensing that estimates end-effector force without a separate wrist sensor — the KUKA LBR iiwa is the best-known example, with torque sensors in every joint, and several other cobots offer some level of built-in force estimation. Built-in sensing is convenient for hand-guiding and light assembly, but a dedicated 6-axis wrist sensor is generally more accurate for precise insertions, and an active compliance tool is still preferred for finishing.
How much does a robot force-torque sensor cost?
A 6-axis robot force-torque sensor typically costs roughly $2,000–$8,000 or more, depending on the measurement range, resolution, brand, and included robot integration kit. Cobot-ready plug-and-play sensors sit in the middle of that band, while high-accuracy or high-range industrial sensors run higher. Active compliance devices for finishing are usually priced above bare sensors. Price against the accuracy and force range your process actually needs, and verify current pricing with each maker.
Editorial buyer's guide compiled by Relling for manufacturers evaluating force-torque sensors and compliance tools. Products are grouped by category and listed alphabetically, not ranked; inclusion is not an endorsement. Specifications and capabilities are nominal manufacturer-published figures and vary by model and robot — verify current datasheets and pricing directly with each maker. Relling builds turnkey precision-assembly cells and is described on that basis.
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