Meta said it is partnering with sensor company GelSight and South Korean robotics company Wonik Robotics to commercialize tactile sensors for AI.
The new device is not intended for consumers. Rather, they are aimed at scientists. Meta says it envisions them being used to advance research into AI that can “learn more about the world” and “better understand and model the physical world.”
GelSight collaborates with Meta to bring Digit 360 to market. Meta describes it as a “tactile fingertip with human-level multimodal sensing capabilities.” The successor to Meta's Digit sensor, Digit 360 uses an on-device AI chip and about 18 “sensing features” to digitize touch signals and detect changes in your surroundings.
Image credit: Meta
“We developed a touch perception-specific optical system with a wide field of view to capture the omnidirectional deformation of the fingertip surface,” Mehta explained in a blog post. “Furthermore, each contact interaction with the environment has a unique profile generated by the mechanical, geometric, and chemical properties of the surface, allowing us to perceive vibrations, sense heat, smell… To do this, we equipped the sensor with many sensing modalities.
Digit 360 is expected to be available for purchase next year, and Meta's has launched a call for proposals to give researchers early access.
Image credit: Meta
Meta's work with Wonik will focus on a new generation of Wonik's Allegro Hand, a robotic hand equipped with tactile sensors like the Digit 360. Built on a platform developed by Meta to integrate sensors into a single robotic hand, the upcoming Allegro Hand will feature a control board that encodes code. Transfers data from the tactile sensor to the host computer.
Allegro Hand will be available starting next year.