Touchwaves, a Dutch deeptech startup and spin-off from TNO, has raised €1.5 million in a pre-seed funding round. The round was led by SecFund, which supports startups, scale-ups, and innovative SMEs addressing the innovation needs of the Dutch Ministry of Defence, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Regional Development Agencies under ROM-Nederland.
Additional participants include TNO Ventures, Brabant Startup Fonds, imec.istart, and Joanna Invests. The round also received support from NWO through its Take-off 2 program, which advances high-potential, research-based innovations.
Founded by Charlotte Kjellander and Martin Romero, Touchwaves develops wearable haptics technologies designed to support human performance and situational awareness, enabling more intuitive interaction with complex systems in high-workload environments.
Human factors remain a significant challenge in aviation, with research indicating that a large share of non-combat incidents are linked to human error. This highlights the need for innovation that places human performance at the centre of system design, particularly in military aviation.
Touchwaves is currently working with the Dutch Ministry of Defence, including the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Forces and the Center for Man in Aviation, on the development of wearable haptics systems aimed at enhancing pilot performance in fighter jet operations.
Charlotte Kjellander, co-founder of Touchwaves, noted that while much of the innovation in military aviation has focused on aircraft systems, the company’s approach prioritises human performance:
By supporting pilots with intuitive, non-invasive haptic feedback, we help them operate more effectively in the most demanding environments.
While military aviation is Touchwaves’ initial focus, the technology is designed for broader dual-use applications across other high-stress environments.
Martin Romero, co-founder, added that the technology is intended to complement existing systems by improving situational awareness and supporting resilience under high workload and stress.
Future use cases include elite sports ( where haptics can support breathing guidance, body awareness, and recovery), ground operations (where haptic alerts may assist with fatigue and workload management), and healthcare and wellbeing (where tactile guidance could help individuals develop focus, awareness, and resilience). These applications align with Touchwaves’ long-term objective of establishing haptics as a core interface for enhancing human performance in environments characterised by high cognitive load and stress.
The company plans to use the new funding to accelerate the development of a next generation of dual-use wearable haptics technologies aimed at further improving human performance and situational awareness in high-stress environments.
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