New sensor for engineers and scientists exceeds the spatial resolution of human touch.

Last week, tactile sensing technology company GelSight released the GelSight Mini, an AI-powered 3D tactile sensor. The sensor is a compact, gel-based device that the company describes in its press release as “a human resolution tactile sensor for engineers and scientists.”
The GelSight Mini can be used by human hands as well as a variety of robots, including collaborative robots, or cobots. GelSight claims that its new device is the first to deliver “superhuman” touch resolution using AI that can share tactile intelligence within five minutes. The company says that the mini is the only human-scale resolution tactile sensor with 2D and 3D digital mapping and broader sensor capabilities for those in the robotics industry and beyond.
“GelSight Mini is a first-of-its-kind, affordable, and compact tactile sensor with an easy, plug-and-play set up that lets users get to work within five minutes of taking the device out of the box,” said Dennis Lang, vice president of product at GelSight, in the press release. “We believe that GelSight Mini will reduce the barrier of entry into robotics and touch-based scanning for corporate research and development, academics, and hobbyists, while opening doors to new terrain, such as the Metaverse.”

The GelSight Mini’s sensor exceeds the spatial resolution of the human touch, according to GelSight, and can yield information and optimized images about surface materials that could be useful in a range of industries and academic research. The GelSight Mini could be particularly useful for roboticists conducting two-finger gripper and bionic hand research.
The GelSight Mini System bundles the GelSight Mini, a standard gel, a focus tool, and a USB Micro B to C Cable and is priced at $499. The system features a plug-and-play setup, tool-less fast-gel changes and a design that can withstand robotics prototyping. The system is compatible with Robot Operating System (ROS) and includes frame grabbers and Python scripts for AI, computer vision and digital twin applications. GelSight also provides 3D CAD files of adapters for integration into existing robotics systems.
The GelSight Mini’s tactile data leverages ROS, PyTouch and Python, allowing users to create detailed, accurate surface characterizations that are directly compatible with familiar industry standard software.
As the area of soft robotics accelerates, there’s increasing demand for dexterous bots capable of delicate tasks that can interface with a variety of surfaces. Greater tactical intelligence can help take this tech to the next level by enabling more rapid, well-documented surface measurement and high-resolution imaging.