Meta AI has made new tools that will enable robots to touch and feel like humans

Meta's AI research team, known as FAIR (Fundamental AI Research), is pushing robotics forward with new tools that focus on giving robots the ability to "feel," move with skill, and work alongside people. These advancements are aimed at creating robots that are not only technically capable but can also handle real-world tasks in a way that feels natural and safe around humans. Here’s an easy breakdown of what they’ve announced and why it matters.

Imagine the everyday tasks humans do: picking up a cup of coffee, stacking dishes, or even shaking hands. These all require a sense of touch and careful control that humans take for granted. Robots, however, don’t naturally have these abilities. They usually rely on vision or programmed instructions, making it tough for them to handle delicate objects, understand textures, or adapt to changes on the spot.

Meta’s latest tools help robots overcome these limitations. By giving robots a sense of “touch” through advanced sensors and systems, these tools could make it possible for robots to perform tasks with the same sensitivity and adaptability that humans use. This could open up a world of possibilities for robots in fields like healthcare, manufacturing, and even virtual reality.

Meta has released three new technologies to enhance robot touch, movement, and collaboration with humans:

1. Meta Sparsh:  
   Sparsh is a touch-sensing technology that helps AI recognise textures, pressure, and even movement through touch, not just sight. Unlike many AI systems that need labeled data for each task, Sparsh uses raw data, making it more adaptable and accurate across various tasks. This is like giving a robot a general sense of touch that can work with many different touch sensors.

2. Meta Digit 360:  
   Digit 360 is an advanced artificial fingertip with human-level touch sensitivity. It can sense tiny differences in texture and detect very small forces, capturing touch details similar to a human finger. It’s built with a powerful lens that covers the whole fingertip, letting it “see” in all directions, and it can even react to different temperatures. This makes it useful for delicate tasks, such as medical procedures or detailed virtual interactions.

3. Meta Digit Plexus:  
   Plexus is a system that connects multiple touch sensors across a robotic hand, giving it a sense of touch from fingertips to palm. This makes it easier to create robotic hands that can move with the fine-tuned control humans have, helping researchers build robots that can handle fragile or irregular objects.

Meta isn’t developing these tools alone. They’ve partnered with two companies, GelSight Inc. and Wonik Robotics, to manufacture and distribute these touch-sensing tools:

- GelSight Inc. will produce and distribute the Digit 360 fingertip sensor. Researchers can apply to get early access and explore new uses for this technology in fields like healthcare, robotics, and more.
  
- Wonik Robotics will integrate the Plexus technology into their existing robotic hand model, Allegro Hand, enhancing its touch capabilities and making it available for researchers who want to study or build on this technology.

These partnerships help ensure that researchers and developers worldwide have access to these cutting-edge tools, allowing them to explore and expand on Meta’s work in touch perception and robot dexterity.

New PARTNR tool

For robots to be useful in our daily lives, they need more than just physical skills; they also need to work well with people. To address this, Meta created a tool called PARTNR that helps test and improve how robots handle tasks that involve interacting with humans. 

PARTNR works as a simulation platform that lets robots practise different household tasks and situations with “virtual” human partners. This is a safer and more scalable way to train robots before putting them into real-world situations. It allows AI to learn important social and spatial skills, like knowing how to move in shared spaces or adapt to human instructions. 

With PARTNR, researchers can evaluate how robots and AI plan, track tasks, and work through unexpected events. This is key for creating robots that don’t just work on their own but collaborate effectively with humans.

Meta’s advancements in robotic touch and human-robot interaction could have big impacts across industries:

- Healthcare: Robots with fine-touch skills could help in surgeries or assist in caregiving with gentle movements.
- Manufacturing and Warehousing: Robots could handle fragile items or work on complex assembly tasks.
- Virtual Reality: Robots and VR devices could “feel” objects, creating more immersive experiences.