Robotiq opens pre-orders for 2FC gripper with built-in tactile sensing, shipping from Q1 2027

Robotiq opened pre-orders for the 2FC gripper on 21 October 2026.
Two sizes, 2FC-85 and 2FC-140, with 85 mm and 140 mm strokes.
Rated for 2 million cycles, according to Robotiq.
Built on the 2F gripper, which Robotiq says has more than 30,000 units deployed.
Shipping from Q1 2027; price not published.

Robotiq, the Canadian gripper maker, has opened pre-orders for the 2FC, an adaptive two-finger gripper with built-in tactile sensing and an onboard computer. The launch release, dated 21 October 2026, says the gripper comes in two sizes, the 2FC-85 and 2FC-140, named after their 85 mm and 140 mm strokes. Shipping is due to start in the first quarter of 2027. Robotiq has not published a price.

Why it matters

Most grippers on factory floors today are blind to what they are holding, so this matters for anyone running pick, assembly or machine tending cells.

The 2FC builds on Robotiq's 2F adaptive gripper, which the company says has more than 30,000 units deployed worldwide. The release says the new model captures pressure, vibration, proprioception, force, position and motor current, synchronised at millisecond level. A small computer at the wrist, which Robotiq calls the AI Hub, runs its Contact Core software. Robotiq says this lets the gripper check grasp quality, detect slip as it begins, estimate an object's position in the fingers, centre the object and confirm the grip, without sending raw data back to the robot controller first.

Robotiq describes the 2FC as "production-ready" and rates it for 2 million cycles. It says the same hardware can be used to train AI models and then run them in production, which is aimed at teams building learning-based robot systems. Software access is through a single API, a ROS 2 package (ROS is the Robot Operating System) and a C++ software development kit due on Robotiq's GitHub.

There is also an upgrade path. Owners of existing 2F grippers can add Robotiq's tactile fingertips and the AI Hub instead of replacing the gripper, according to the release. That may matter more to many buyers than the new model itself.

What is proven: the 2F base gripper has a large installed base. What is claimed: the 2 million cycle rating and the on-gripper skills, which have not been independently tested. Not published: price, gripping force, payload, weight and the list of compatible robot arms. Robotiq is holding a launch webinar on 28 October.

What tactile sensing adds to a robot hand

A standard gripper knows two things: how far its fingers have closed and how much current its motor is drawing. From that it can tell whether it has closed on something, but not much more. Tactile sensors add a sense of touch: pads in the fingertips that measure pressure across their surface and pick up vibration.

The most useful thing this enables is slip detection. When an object starts to slide out of a grip, it causes tiny vibrations and a shift in the pressure pattern before it actually falls. A gripper that detects this "incipient slip" can tighten its grip in a few milliseconds, or tell the robot to slow down.

Take a robot moving bags of mixed parts from a bin to a conveyor. Without touch, the cell is tuned to grip hard enough for the heaviest bag, which can crush lighter items, or it drops some bags and needs a person to clear them. With slip detection, the gripper can start with a lighter grip and tighten only when a bag begins to move. For a buyer, the question is not whether the sensors exist but whether the software reacts fast and reliably enough on your own items.

Questions to ask the vendor

What is the gripping force, payload and weight of each 2FC size, and how much does the AI Hub add at the wrist?
Which robot arms and controllers are supported at launch, and does slip correction run on the gripper alone or need changes to the robot program?
Under what test conditions was the 2 million cycle rating measured, and does it cover the tactile pads as well as the mechanism?
What does the upgrade kit for an existing 2F gripper cost compared with a new 2FC, and do upgraded units get the same on-gripper skills?

Sources

About the author

Alexander

Founder & Editor at Aparobot.