GelSlim3.0: High-Resolution Measurement of Shape, Force and Slip in a Compact Tactile-Sensing Finger

TL;DR

GelSlim 3.0 is a compact, high-resolution tactile sensor finger capable of measuring shape, force, and slip, optimized through optical simulation and designed for easy integration, repair, and open-source access.

Contribution

This work introduces GelSlim 3.0, a novel tactile finger integrating multiple sensing modalities in a compact design optimized via optical simulation, and provides open-source design and software.

Findings

High-resolution shape, force, and slip sensing achieved.

Optimized optical configuration for compact design.

Open-source design facilitates research and reproducibility.

Abstract

This work presents a new version of the tactile-sensing finger GelSlim 3.0, which integrates the ability to sense high-resolution shape, force, and slip in a compact form factor for use with small parallel jaw grippers in cluttered bin-picking scenarios. The novel design incorporates the capability to use real-time analytic methods to measure shape, estimate the contact 3D force distribution, and detect incipient slip. To achieve a compact integration, we optimize the optical path from illumination source to camera and other geometric variables in a optical simulation environment. In particular, we optimize the illumination sources and a light shaping lens around the constraints imposed by the photometric stereo algorithm used for depth reconstruction. The optimized optical configuration is integrated into a finger design composed of robust and easily replaceable snap-to-fit fingetip module that allow for ease of manufacture, assembly, use, and repair. To stimulate future research in tactile-sensing and provide the robotics community access to reliable and easily-reproducible tactile finger with a diversity of sensing modalities, we open-source the design and software at https://github.com/mcubelab/gelslim.