From automation and process improvement to real-time decision making, object manipulation, and improved task execution, artificial intelligence (AI) has a lot to offer the field of robotics. While the concept of embodied AI is not exactly new—it has roots in the assembly robots and chatbots of the 1960s—the technology has evolved quite a bit since the creation of Sophia, the first “robot citizen,” in 2016.
Through a partnership with GelSight (an American producer of high-resolution, 3D tactile sensors) and Wonik Robotics (a South Korean producer of automation and robotic technology), Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) team is building an artificial fingertip with human-level tactile sensation. The Meta Digit 360 will use an on-device AI chip and 18 “sensing features” to process rich and detailed tactile data up to 30 times faster than humans. Based on a touch-perception-specific optical system with a wide lens, the artificial fingertip is capable of perceiving multimodal signals—like vibrations, heat, and even odor—and capturing forces as small as one millinewton.
With the help of the Meta Digit Plexus, a standardized hardware-software solution for integrating tactile sensors on a single robot hand, the Meta Digit 360 is set to reach new heights of dexterity and perception. If you want to get a hand on it, sadly the device is currently available only for researchers, but if you’re part of the scientific community, keep an out for more proposal calls like Meta had earlier this year.