# Exploiting High Quality Tactile Sensors for Simplified Grasping

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2207.12360 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2207.12360/

## Key facts

- No citing papers in the map yet (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 1 of its 31 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 25 Jul 2022.

## Builds on (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Deep Dynamics Models for Learning Dexterous Manipulation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1909.11652/) (2019)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Robots are expected to grasp a wide range of objects varying in shape, weight or material type. Providing robots with tactile capabilities similar to humans is thus essential for applications involving human-to-robot or robot-to-robot interactions, particularly in those situations where a robot is expected to grasp and manipulate complex objects not previously encountered. A critical aspect for successful object grasp and manipulation is the use of high-quality fingertips equipped with multiple high-performance sensors, distributed appropriately across a specific contact surface. In this paper, we present a detailed analysis of the use of two different types of commercially available robotic fingertips (BioTac and WTS-FT), each of which is equipped with multiple sensors distributed across the fingertips' contact surface. We further demonstrate that, due to the high performance of the fingertips, a complex adaptive grasping algorithm is not required for grasping of everyday objects. We conclude that a simple algorithm based on a proportional controller will suffice for many grasping applications, provided the relevant fingertips exhibit high sensitivity. In a quantified assessment, we also demonstrate that, due in part to the sensor distribution, the BioTac-based fingertip performs better than the WTS-FT device, in enabling lifting of loads up to 850g, and that the simple proportional controller can adapt the grasp even when the object is exposed to significant external vibrational challenges.