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PMARC Labs: Finger-scale actuators
that measure force.

PMARC Labs builds finger-scale actuator modules for robotic hands: powered motion, position sensing, and direct force sensing in one small unit.

Read the Thesis Inside the Module
Wireframe drawing of a robotic hand, with a PMARC Labs actuator module at every joint, holding a PMARC Cube
Backed by 70+ grants, programs, and sponsors from
NASANASA Rhode Island Space Grant Brown University NVIDIA Inception Program 1517 Fund Medici grant Brown AI Studio, formerly B*, the Brown Startup Fellowship Dremel
YuXin Prusa Research iFixit Xometry PTC (Creo) igus Elegoo PopSockets Polymaker Wiha Tools
Hakko CeramicSpeed Kyowa Seeed Fusion Lindström Chemtronics Proxxon Techspray SpeedCubeShop Smalley Harwin E3D
Finish Line TotalBoat Precision Brand Protocase OSH Park Excelta Wall Control Master Appliance Miller-Stephenson Moody Tools ODrive Robotics
Fowler High Precision Actuonix OpenELAB Century Spring American Weigh Scales STEPPERONLINE Protopasta Fix It Sticks Bolt Depot OSH Cut Satellite City System Three Resins
The Lab Stockroom KMS Bearings Rex-Cut Abrasives Flex-I-File Flitz Jukebox E-Z LOK Bertech SchmartBoard Simply Bearings Durham Manufacturing Gaffer Power Wham Bam Systems Layerneer
Thesis

Torque-sensed joints exist for arms and legs. Not for fingers.

The problem

Torque-sensed joints exist for arms and legs. They do not exist at finger scale. A finger joint needs high gear reduction to get useful torque from a tiny motor, and that reduction buries the force signal in friction, so estimating force from motor current simply stops working.

Our approach

PMARC Labs measures torque on the output side of the gearing, with a flexure built into the module, so each reading is the load the joint actually carries. The module is small enough to be the finger joint itself, and its mechanism was first proven at palm scale in the PMARC Cube.

Inside the Module

A joint actuator with built‑in torque and position sensing.

01

Output flange

02

Torque-sensing flexure

03

Planetary stage

04

Module housing

05

Frameless motor

06

Encoder and drive board

Roadmap

From a proof of concept to production actuator modules.

  1. Proven

    PMARC Cube

    Proved the variable-resistance mechanism at palm scale.

    View PMARC
  2. Now

    Production module

    Engineering the joint-scale actuator module for production.

    Inside the module
  3. Next

    First production run

    The first run of modules, each calibrated before it ships.

    Read the thesis
  4. Planned

    First design win

    A hand builder designs the module into a prototype hand.

    Get in touch

Work with PMARC Labs

We work with companies and labs that are building dexterous and humanoid hands.

hello@pmarclabs.com