Zuckerberg says touch sensor, robot skin designed for metaverse

Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who is now the head of Meta, the new parent company for the social media giant, announced a new touch sensor and robot skin Monday designed for the metaverse.

"Some interesting new research from our AI team to understand the world through touch. We designed a high-res touch sensor and worked with Carnegie Mellon [University] to create a thin robot skin," Zuckerberg wrote in a post on Facebook.

"This brings us one step closer to realistic virtual objects and physical interactions in the metaverse," he added.

Facebook's artificial intelligence (AI) department on Monday introduced ReSkin -- a new touch-sensing skin created by Meta AI researchers in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University.

"Our sense of touch helps us navigate the world around us. With it, we can gather information about objects — such as whether they're light or heavy, soft or hard, stable or unstable — that we use to accomplish everyday tasks, from putting on our shoes to preparing a meal," it said in a statement.

While AI can effectively incorporate senses like vision and sound with today's technology, the sense of touch remains an ongoing challenge, according to the statement.

The new technology can enable the production of robot hands, tactile gloves, arm sleeves and even dog shoes which can help researchers collect tactile data for new AI models, it added.

The 2-3 millimeter thick ReSkin can be used for more than 50,000 interactions, and it costs less than $6 each at 100 units, it said.

Facebook renamed itself Meta on Oct. 28, which will unite Facebook's apps and technologies including WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and its Oculus virtual reality division.

The technology is a step forward in Zuckerberg's ambitions for the metaverse, in which interconnected virtual experiences use technologies like virtual and augmented reality.

Facebook announced on Oct. 17 that it is planning to create 10,000 new highly skilled jobs in the European Union over the next five years to build the metaverse.