RoTipBot: Robotic Handling of Thin and Flexible Objects using Rotatable Tactile Sensors

TL;DR

RoTipBot is a robotic system that uses rotatable tactile sensors to handle, count, and grasp multiple thin, flexible objects simultaneously, outperforming previous methods in speed and success rate.

Contribution

The paper introduces RoTip, a novel rotatable tactile sensor, and demonstrates RoTipBot's ability to count and grasp multiple flexible objects in a single operation.

Findings

Achieves higher success rate in handling flexible objects.

Operates up to three times faster than previous methods.

Successfully counts multiple layers during grasping.

Abstract

This paper introduces RoTipBot, a novel robotic system for handling thin, flexible objects. Different from previous works that are limited to singulating them using suction cups or soft grippers, RoTipBot can count multiple layers and then grasp them simultaneously in a single grasp closure. Specifically, we first develop a vision-based tactile sensor named RoTip that can rotate and sense contact information around its tip. Equipped with two RoTip sensors, RoTipBot rolls and feeds multiple layers of thin, flexible objects into the centre between its fingers, enabling effective grasping. Moreover, we design a tactile-based grasping strategy that uses RoTip's sensing ability to ensure both fingers maintain secure contact with the object while accurately counting the number of fed objects. Extensive experiments demonstrate the efficacy of the RoTip sensor and the RoTipBot approach. The results show that RoTipBot not only achieves a higher success rate but also grasps and counts multiple layers simultaneously -- capabilities not possible with previous methods. Furthermore, RoTipBot operates up to three times faster than state-of-the-art methods. The success of RoTipBot paves the way for future research in object manipulation using mobilised tactile sensors. All the materials used in this paper are available at https://sites.google.com/view/rotipbot.