Silica makes robot actuators that measure torque at the output, where the joint meets the load, so arms can record actual contact force instead of estimating it from motor current. The Q Series is for teams collecting robot training data and for builders of grippers, lab robots, and factory machines that need that signal. Arms used for that work typically cannot feel anything lighter than a tennis ball, and separate torque sensors cost several times the actuator, so most of those arms leave force sensing out. Silica builds the sensor into the gearbox. The company says a joint can feel a load as light as a paperclip, about 50 times more sensitive than motor-current estimates, while adding about 10 to 15 percent to the price of a standard actuator, and that the hardware drops into existing low-cost training arms without a redesign. Founder Enrico Milletti previously developed materials and manufacturing processes at Apple, then started Silica in San Francisco. The company is in Y Combinator's Fall 2026 batch and is also backed by Founders Inc. and UP. Partners. Pre-orders cover four sizes, from a 20 mm, 0.4 Nm unit for fingers and grippers up to a 40 Nm unit for waists, hips, and knees. The company expects prototypes in customers' hands in December 2026 and production in January 2027. The launch sits on a concrete gap in robot training: demonstrations collected on current-estimate actuators do not record how hard the joint actually pushed, which is the signal robots need before they can handle fragile parts with any consistency.