Abstract A novel three-axial tactile sensor based on the differential capacitive principle is presented. The sensor is fabricated using IC processing and bulk-micromachining technology. Normal and shear forces are detected by capacitor arrays under force mesas. Experimental devices show sensitivities of 0.13 pF g −1 to normal forces, and 0.32 pF g −1 to shear forces in a force range of 0–1 g. The device has a spatial resolution of 2.2 mm. Its maximum dynamic response frequency is 162 Hz. The force range and sensitivity can be adjusted by changing the membrane thickness. A dynamic measurement range of more than 100 can be obtained using detection circuits with a resolution of 10 fF.