Tangent Robotics
Columbia University spinout in New York building robot hands with light-based touch sensing and learning methods for fine assembly work.
Tangent Robotics spun out of Columbia Engineering's Robotic Manipulation and Mobility Lab and is based in New York City. Its co-founders are Pedro Piacenza, Columbia robotics professor Matei Ciocarlie, who previously co-led the manipulation team at Willow Garage, and electronics researcher Ioannis Kymissis. The team developed the DISCO light-based touch-sensing robot finger, hands for NASA's Assistive Free Flyer robots on the International Space Station, and a robot hand capable of in-hand dexterity in darkness named one of Time's Best Inventions of 2023. It targets assembly tasks such as threading, connector mating, gasket seating, snap fitting and gear meshing. It raised a $4.5 million pre-seed round co-led by Fly Ventures and Toyota Ventures in September 2026.
- Latest funding
- $4.5M
- Total funding
- $4.5M
- Latest valuation
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- Founded
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- Country
- United States
- Sep 30, 2026Pre-seed$4.5M
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