Touchwaves Raises €1.5M For Next-Generation Wearable Technology

The round was led by SecFund, which supports startups and scale-ups addressing innovation needs of the Dutch Ministry of Defence, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and regional development agencies under ROM-Nederland.

Additional investors in the round include TNO Ventures, Brabant Startup Fonds, imec.istart, and Joanna Invests. The funding was also supported by NWO through its Take-off 2 program, which helps advance high-potential, research-based innovations.

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Founded by Charlotte Kjellander and Martin Romero, Touchwaves develops wearable haptics technology to enhance human performance and situational awareness enabling intuitive interaction with complex systems in high-workload environments.

Human factors remain a major challenge in aviation, with studies showing many non-combat incidents stem from human error. Touchwaves addresses this by placing human performance at the center of system design, particularly in military aviation.

The company is working with the Dutch Ministry of Defence, including the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Forces and the Center for Man in Aviation, to develop wearable haptics solutions that improve pilot performance in fighter jet operations.

By supporting pilots with intuitive, non-invasive haptic feedback, they help them operate more effectively in the most demanding environments.

While military aviation is Touchwaves’ initial focus its technology is designed for broader dual-use applications in other high-stress environments.

Co-founder Martin Romero explained that the solution complements existing systems by enhancing situational awareness and supporting resilience under heavy workload and stress.

Future applications include elite sports where haptics can support breathing body awareness and recovery ground operations, assisting with fatigue and workload management and healthcare and wellbeing where tactile guidance can help improve focus and resilience.

The new funding will be used to accelerate development of the next generation of dual-use wearable haptics technologies further advancing human performance and situational awareness in demanding environments.

About Touchwaves

Touchwaves is a TNO spin-off creating next-generation wearable technology that enhances human performance under pressure. By combining haptics, biosensors and data insights, Touchwaves helps users from fighter pilots and special operators to elite athletes and patients build resilience, improve awareness and perform at their best in high-stress environments.