Flexiv needs no introduction. This time, it is turning heads at Automate 2026 in Chicago. The company is debuting two novel robots: Enlight and MICO. Enlight is an adaptive robotic arm, while MICO is a dual-arm humanoid-style platform. These are not just incremental upgrades but a major step forward in what industrial robots can actually do.

Automate 2026, which is North America’s largest robotics event, is taking place in Chicago from June 22-25. This event brings tech experts from all over the world to present the latest discoveries in robotics and automation. This time, Flexiv chose this event to launch its two most advanced robots to date.

Enlight: A Robot That Can Feel

Enlight is a seven-axis robotic arm that can respond to touch. The best thing about the robot is that it has the world’s first whole-body touch sensitivity. The company said it is the first industrial robot with such a feature. So what does that mean? This robot has force-torque sensors that are built into its seven joints. That means the robot not only moves freely but can also feel the pressure at every point along its arm. Also, it offers 720-degree rotation on four axes. This provides flexibility and allows the arm to access even tight spaces as well. It is lightweight, only 15 kg, and has advanced hand-eye coordination that can handle messy tasks that conventional robots can’t.

MICO: The Dual-Arm Humanoid Platform

This is another one on Flexiv’s list. It is built on the same architecture as Enlight. It is a humanoid-style dual-arm robot. If you have no idea what we are talking about, think of it like there are two Enlight arms working together under the instructions of one brain. That means the robot can perform tasks that require the coordination of both hands in the real world. MICO is different from others because usually what we see are robots that are single-armed. They do really well in performing regular tasks. But on the other hand, when it comes to two-handed coordination, these robots fail. MICO is different because it has overcome this problem. Besides that, MICO is compact, so it can do really well in tight spaces where regular robots fail to adjust.

So does that mean something valuable for the manufacturing industry? Yes, it does. For years, conventional robots have been very helpful in industries. But the other side is their limitations, where they fail to perform a task when the conditions change. In industrial automation, the ability of robots to sense and adapt to changes is what the future needs. And luckily, Flexiv’s Enlight and MICO are directly targeting this challenge.