IROS 2026 observations: Touch is entering robot learning and real-world applications

IROS 2026 was held in Pittsburgh, USA, from September 27 to October 1, with papers, workshops, and exhibition discussions focusing on how touch is entering robot learning, fine manipulation, and real-world applications. A paper from a University of Chinese Academy of Sciences team achieved a 67% success rate in a 0.05 mm clearance insertion task, reducing peak interaction force by 60% and torque by 44%; the experiments used PaXini PX6AX GEN3 sensors.