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Tesla publishes patent application for robotic tactile skin

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A Tesla US patent application (US 2026/0310299 A1, published October 8) describes a tactile-sensitive "skin" in which sensors are first printed on a flexible flat material and then thermoformed into a three-dimensional shape, capable of being molded into robotic fingers and palms. The patent application was filed by Tesla; it is a disclosure of a technical solution and is not yet a mass-produced product. The solution uses two layers of flexible substrate with conductive regions sandwiching a compressible layer, supports capacitive and piezoresistive sensing, and employs scalable manufacturing processes such as screen printing, laser cutting, and thermoforming. Potential applications listed in the patent include robotic fingertips, palms, and end effectors. The patent application does not confirm that the technology will be used in the Optimus humanoid robot, nor does it provide sensitivity, resolution, or durability data; actual performance cannot yet be assessed.