# GelSlim: A High-Resolution, Compact, Robust, and Calibrated Tactile-sensing Finger

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.00628 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1803.00628/

## Key facts

- Cited by 52 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 1 Mar 2018.

## Built on by (most cited first, 30 of 52)

- [AnyTouch: Learning Unified Static-Dynamic Representation across Multiple Visuo-tactile Sensors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.12191/) (2025)
- [ReSkin: versatile, replaceable, lasting tactile skins](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.00071/) (2021)
- [GelSight Wedge: Measuring High-Resolution 3D Contact Geometry with a Compact Robot Finger](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.08851/) (2021)
- [MimicTouch: Leveraging Multi-modal Human Tactile Demonstrations for Contact-rich Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.16917/) (2023)
- [Neural feels with neural fields: Visuo-tactile perception for in-hand manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2312.13469/) (2023)
- [RoboPack: Learning Tactile-Informed Dynamics Models for Dense Packing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.01418/) (2024)
- [Learning to Read Braille: Bridging the Tactile Reality Gap with Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2304.01182/) (2023)
- [Touch-GS: Visual-Tactile Supervised 3D Gaussian Splatting](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.09875/) (2024)
- [Hearing Touch: Audio-Visual Pretraining for Contact-Rich Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2405.08576/) (2024)
- [PolyTouch: A Robust Multi-Modal Tactile Sensor for Contact-rich Manipulation Using Tactile-Diffusion Policies](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.19341/) (2025)
- [DenseTact: Optical Tactile Sensor for Dense Shape Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2201.01367/) (2022)
- [Visual-Tactile Sensing for In-Hand Object Reconstruction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.14498/) (2023)
- [FingerSLAM: Closed-loop Unknown Object Localization and Reconstruction from Visuo-tactile Feedback](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.07997/) (2023)
- [AnyTouch 2: General Optical Tactile Representation Learning For Dynamic Tactile Perception](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.09617/) (2026)
- [VT-Refine: Learning Bimanual Assembly with Visuo-Tactile Feedback via Simulation Fine-Tuning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2510.14930/) (2025)
- [A soft thumb-sized vision-based sensor with accurate all-round force perception](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2111.05934/) (2021)
- [OSMO: Open-Source Tactile Glove for Human-to-Robot Skill Transfer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2512.08920/) (2025)
- [Robust Pivoting: Exploiting Frictional Stability Using Bilevel Optimization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.11412/) (2022)
- [All the Feels: A dexterous hand with large-area tactile sensing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.15658/) (2022)
- [HyperTaxel: Hyper-Resolution for Taxel-Based Tactile Signals Through Contrastive Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.08312/) (2024)
- [Tactile DreamFusion: Exploiting Tactile Sensing for 3D Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.06785/) (2024)
- [OCRA: Object-Centric Learning with 3D and Tactile Priors for Human-to-Robot Action Transfer](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.14401/) (2026)
- [Enhancing Generalizable 6D Pose Tracking of an In-Hand Object with Tactile Sensing](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.04026/) (2022)
- [Visual-tactile Fusion for Transparent Object Grasping in Complex Backgrounds](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.16693/) (2022)
- [V-HOP: Visuo-Haptic 6D Object Pose Tracking](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.17434/) (2025)
- [Learning Intuitive Physics with Multimodal Generative Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.04454/) (2021)
- [LeTac-MPC: Learning Model Predictive Control for Tactile-reactive Grasping](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.04934/) (2024)
- [Learning Force Distribution Estimation for the GelSight Mini Optical Tactile Sensor Based on Finite Element Analysis](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2411.03315/) (2024)
- [DexSkin: High-Coverage Conformable Robotic Skin for Learning Contact-Rich Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.18830/) (2025)
- [Learning to Synthesize Volumetric Meshes from Vision-based Tactile Imprints](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2203.15155/) (2022)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This work describes the development of a high-resolution tactile-sensing finger for robot grasping. This finger, inspired by previous GelSight sensing techniques, features an integration that is slimmer, more robust, and with more homogeneous output than previous vision-based tactile sensors. To achieve a compact integration, we redesign the optical path from illumination source to camera by combining light guides and an arrangement of mirror reflections. We parameterize the optical path with geometric design variables and describe the tradeoffs between the finger thickness, the depth of field of the camera, and the size of the tactile sensing area. The sensor sustains the wear from continuous use -- and abuse -- in grasping tasks by combining tougher materials for the compliant soft gel, a textured fabric skin, a structurally rigid body, and a calibration process that maintains homogeneous illumination and contrast of the tactile images during use. Finally, we evaluate the sensor's durability along four metrics that track the signal quality during more than 3000 grasping experiments.