Digitization of Touch and Meta AI Partnership

Sense Think Act Podcast

In this episode, Audrow Nash speaks to Youssef Benmokhtar, CEO of GelSight, a Boston–based company that makes high resolution tactile sensors for several industries. They talk about how GelSight’s tactile sensors work, GelSight’s new collaboration with Meta AI (formerly, Facebook AI) to manufacture a low cost touch sensor called DIGIT, on the digitization of touch, touch sensing in robotics, how GelSight is investing in community and open source software, and Youssef’s professional path in several industries.
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EPISODE LINKS:
– Youssef Benmokhtar’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/youssef–benmokhtar–85a2403/}
– GelSight’s Website: https://gelsight.com/}
– GelSight’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/gelsight/}
– DIGIT’s open source page: https://digit.ml/}
– PyTouch library: https://github.com/facebookresearch/PyTouch}
PODCAST INFO:
– Podcast website: https://sensethinkact.com}
– Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sense–think–act/id1582090036}
– Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/52wK4oMDvgijRk6E82tC5d}
– RSS: https://sensethinkact.com/itunes.xml}
– Full episodes: https://www.youtube.com/c/SenseThinkActPodcast}
– Clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChfnCpNwZzYtZ32J–pZvNDg}
OUTLINE:
– (0:00:00) Start
– (0:00:51) Introducing Youssef and GelSight
– (0:07:18) Background of GelSight technology
– (0:08:12) What’s hard about it
– (0:11:56) Miniaturization
– (0:14:40) DIGIT sensor + Collaboration with Meta AI (formerly, Facebook AI)
– (0:21:57) Bringing DIGIT from research to a product
– (0:28:16) Having a camera in your finger
– (0:29:58) DIGIT in robotics applications
– (0:43:04) Meta’s plans with tactile sensing
– (0:49:12) On the digitization of touch
– (0:55:07) On the current state of haptics
– (0:58:06) Haptics to verify products and parts
– (1:01:06) Growing GelSight
– (1:06:03) Open source software and datasets
– (1:14:09) Slipping objects and heavy loads
– (1:22:44) Youssef’s professional path
– (1:32:21) Advice
– (1:34:44) Useful habits
– (1:36:17) Links and getting in touch
SOCIAL:
– Twitter: https://twitter.com/sense_think_act}
– Discourse: https://discourse.ros.org/c/sensethinkact/71}