Researchers from almost every sector have been continuously working to improve modern artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Although current AI algorithms can effectively sense vision and sound, thanks to high-end cameras and sensors, the sense of touch remains a work-in-progress due to the lack of relevant data. So now, Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has developed a new robotic skin that can sense touch and help researchers to quickly improve their AIs’ touch-sensing capabilities at scale.
With ReSkin, Meta says that its researchers were able to overcome various challenges that prevent current tactile-sensing technologies to gather relevant data. So, Meta’s new touch-sensing skin sidelines the current issues by removing the need for an electrical connection between the soft material and the traditional measurement electronics, relying on multiple sensors rather than on a single one, and by auto-calibrating itself with the help of the self-supervised learning skill.
“Robust tactile sensing is a significant bottleneck in robotics,” Lerrel Pinto, an assistant professor of computer science at NYU, says. “Current sensors are either too expensive, offer a poor resolution, or are simply too unwieldy for custom robots. ReSkin has the potential to overcome several of these issues. Its lightweight and small form factor makes it compatible with arbitrary grippers, and I’m excited to further explore applications of this sensor on our lab’s robots,” he further added.
