by Kyle Wiggers

Meta says it’s partnering with sensor firm GelSight and Wonik Robotics, a South Korean robotics company, to commercialize tactile sensors for AI. The new tactile devices aren’t intended for consumers, but for scientists and researchers working to develop AI that can “learn about the world in richer detail” and “better understand and model the physical world.”

GelSight will collaborate with Meta to bring to market Digit 360, described as “a tactile fingertip with human-level multimodal sensing capabilities.” As the successor to Meta’s earlier Digit sensor, Digit 360 uses an on-device AI chip and around 18 sensing features to digitize touch signals and detect changes in the environment.

“We developed a touch-perception-specific optical system with a wide field of view for capturing omnidirectional deformations on the fingertip surface,” Meta explained in a blog post. “Additionally, we equipped the sensor with many sensing modalities, since each interaction with the environment has a unique mechanical, geometrical, and chemical signature—allowing the sensor to perceive vibrations, sense heat, and even detect odors.”

Digit 360 will be available for purchase next year, and Meta has launched a call for research proposals to give selected teams early access to the technology.

Meta Allegro Hand / Meta

Meta’s collaboration with Wonik Robotics focuses on a new generation of the Allegro Hand, a robotic hand that will incorporate tactile sensors like Digit 360. Built on Meta’s integrated tactile sensing framework, the next Allegro Hand will feature new control boards capable of encoding tactile sensor data directly to a host system.

The next-generation Allegro Hand is set to become available starting next year.

Original Article