Summary
At this year's Shanghai Two Sessions, deputies and committee members held lively discussions around the exploration of…
At this year's Shanghai Two Sessions, deputies and committee members held lively discussions around the exploration of cultivating "scientists + entrepreneurs" as set out in the draft outline of the city's 15th Five-Year Plan. Xense Robotics, headquartered in the Grand Zero Bay area of Minhang District, stands as a typical example of this model, and the entrepreneurial path of its founder, Ma Daolin — also a Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University — has attracted widespread attention.
Ding Xiaodong, a member of the Shanghai Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), noted that major scientific and technological innovation is becoming increasingly integrated with the market, and that enterprises have become key players in innovation. Founded by Ma Daolin in 2024, Xense Robotics is precisely a "research-driven enterprise" under this trend. The company focuses on the frontier field of multimodal tactile sensing, dedicated to translating high-precision sensing technology from the laboratory into physical products and solutions applied in intelligent manufacturing, advanced robotics and other industries.
The successful transformation from scientist to entrepreneur owes much to the dual support of the regional innovation ecosystem and university-level institutional innovation. With the support of the "Grand Zero Bay One-Kilometer Incubator" and Shanghai Jiao Tong University's policies, the Xense team has been able to rapidly channel frontier tactile sensing technology toward industrial demand.
Xense Robotics is by no means an isolated case, but it clearly marks out a path: built on world-class research, oriented by real demand, and supported by institutions and ecosystem, closing the loop from technological breakthrough to market value. Xense's practice demonstrates that when research depth meets market breadth in a well-functioning ecosystem, laboratory technology can cross barriers and grow into a core force driving industrial progress.
Looking ahead, Xense Robotics will continue to deepen its work in tactile sensing technology, bring more innovative outcomes to market, and contribute to scientific and technological innovation and industrial upgrading.
