Tactus AI
About
About Tactus AI
Elsie is a mobile laboratory robot with two arms, depth vision, force sensing and tactile interaction. It moves through existing laboratories, opens equipment, transfers samples and consumables and operates buttons, doors and instruments designed for human technicians.
Tactus’ orchestration software breaks procedures into reusable robot skills and coordinates the robot with laboratory schedules and digital records. A digital twin supports task development and validation before execution, while remote supervision, quality sign-off and automatic logging connect the physical workflow with laboratory operating systems.
Products
- Elsie
Tactus laboratory platform
Team
- Claire Weston, PhD - Co-Founder & CEO - Co-founder and current chief executive
- Casey Laris - Co-Founder & CTO - Co-founder and current technical leader
- Michael Quick - Chief Commercial Officer - Current commercial leader
- Dawn Eastin - Head of Operations - Current operations leader
- Nathan Wildgrube - Head of Quality & Regulatory - Current quality and regulatory leader
Timeline
Events
- 2026-07-27 - Product Launch - Tactus AI unveils Elsie for clinical laboratory workflows
Elsie combines wheeled mobility, two arms, touch and force sensing, depth perception and machine vision. The platform is intended to monitor instruments, move samples and consumables, run validated procedures and handle routine first-line interventions. Tactus is selecting three to five US launch laboratories for pilots in 2026; those pilots are planned, not deployed.
Source - 2026-06-10 - Facility Opening - Tactus AI opens San Diego campus
The San Diego campus opened with an official ribbon-cutting and open house. The site adds operating infrastructure for Tactus AI’s robotics and embodied-intelligence work. A dedicated campus gives the company space for development, customer demonstrations and team expansion.
Source - 2026-04-06 - Partnership - Tactus AI partners with UC San Diego engineering students on lab-robot gripper
A five-student UC San Diego MAE 156 team is designing a gripper for objects encountered in working laboratories. Tactus AI engineers, led by CTO Casey Laris, are guiding the project around clinical-lab safety, regulatory and ergonomic constraints. The gripper work targets manipulation needed for sample handling, instrument loading and specimen transport.
Source - 2026-03-17 - Partnership - Tactus AI joins the Digital Pathology Association
Industry membership connects Tactus AI with the Digital Pathology Association’s professional community. The association brings together pathology laboratories, clinicians, researchers and technology providers working on digital pathology adoption. Tactus AI joined through the DPA’s industry-member category.
Source - 2026-02-24 - Executive Hire - Tactus AI appoints Michael Quick as chief commercial officer
Michael Quick joined Tactus AI as chief commercial officer to lead the company’s commercial strategy. Quick brings more than 30 years in medical devices and diagnostics, including leadership of Hologic’s Genius Digital Diagnostics development. His laboratory-operations experience and past presidency of the Digital Pathology Association support Tactus AI’s work with clinical laboratories.
Source
Relations
Relationships
- UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering
Laboratory Robot Gripper Capstone Partner - Tactus partnered with UC San Diego engineering students on a next-generation laboratory-robot gripper.
- Digital Pathology Association
Industry Association Membership - Tactus AI is a member of the Digital Pathology Association.
- NVIDIA
Nvidia Inception Member - Tactus AI joined the NVIDIA Inception startup program.