Methods and apparatuses for calibrating and teaching a robot to accurately work within a work environment. The present invention preferably provides one or more tactile sensor devices that may be operatively coupled with a robot or positioned at one or more desired locations within a work environment of the robot. In one aspect of the present invention a method comprises the steps of providing a touch sensitive surface in the work environment, causing the touch sensitive surface to contact an object, generating a signal indicative of the position of the contact with respect to the touch sensitive surface, and using information comprising the generated signal to teach the robot the location of the contact in the work environment.