Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO, announced Monday that the company had created a new synthetic skin that robots could use to help build the company’s metaverse.
ReSkin, a joint development with Carnegie Mellon University allows robots to “feel” objects to determine how much force should be applied to perform tasks such as moving small objects around or gripping them.
The skin is three millimeters thick and can handle more than 50,000 interactions.
ReSkin is also affordable to produce. Each unit costs less than $6 at 100 units, and less at larger quantities, Facebook AI shared via a blog post.
Abhinav, a Meta research scientist, stated that robots with the ability to feel will help them understand what humans do on Friday.
‘We can for the first time try to have better understanding of the physics behind objects,’ Gupta said, as reported on by CNBC, adding it will help the company’s vision to build a metaverse.
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Mark Zuckerberg, Meta CEO announced Monday that the company had created a new synthetic body for robots. This could allow the machines to help build the company’s metaverse.
The company’s metaverse is designed to allow people to access a virtual universe where they can be anyone and do anything, all from their own home.
The company must first create the imaginary world and is looking for robots to help.
Zuckeberg shared the following Facebook post: “We designed a high resolution touch sensor and worked closely with Carnegie Mellon in order to create a thin robotic skin.”
“This brings us one step closer towards realistic virtual objects and physical interaction in the metaverse.”
ReSkin, a joint development with Carnegie Mellon allows robots to “feel” objects to determine how much force should be applied to accomplish tasks such as moving small objects around or gripping them.
Facebook AI showed its ReSkin in action in a video that included two robotic hands – one with the synthetic skin and the other without.
Both arms were programmed so that they could grab a blueberry from a table.
The one with ReSkin gently grasped the blueberry and squeezed it until it felt secure within its two robotic fingers.
The other machine, which didn’t have the skin, opened its fingers to collect the blueberry. It continued pulling until the berry was squished.
Facebook AI shared the following: “ReSkin offers useful tactile sensing features for in hand manipulation, such as for designing AI to train robots to use keys to unlock doors or grasp delicate objects like grapes or blueberries,” Facebook AI wrote in the post.
Left: The one with ReSkin (left), gently grabbed the blueberry, and then squeezed it until it felt secure within its two robotic fingers. The other machine, left), which did not have skin, gently grabbed the blueberry and pulled them together until they were squished.
Facebook’s Thursday announcement by Zuckerberg was that it would be rebranded to Meta in order to better focus on its ambitions for building the metaverse.
The name change comes as the largest social media company in the world faces criticism from regulators and lawmakers over its market power, algorithmic decision-making and the policing and abuses on its platforms.
Zuckerberg stated, “Right now, the brand is so closely linked to one product that they can’t possibly reflect everything that we do today, let alone tomorrow.”
The company has made substantial investments in virtual and augmented reality and said that the new brand would bring together its various apps and technologies under one banner.
Zuckerberg stated that Meta will not be changing its corporate structure like Alphabet.