PolyTouch: A Robust Multi-Modal Tactile Sensor for Contact-rich Manipulation Using Tactile-Diffusion Policies
Journal:
arXiv
Published Date:
Apr 27, 2025
Abstract
Achieving robust dexterous manipulation in unstructured domestic environments
remains a significant challenge in robotics. Even with state-of-the-art robot
learning methods, haptic-oblivious control strategies (i.e. those relying only
on external vision and/or proprioception) often fall short due to occlusions,
visual complexities, and the need for precise contact interaction control. To
address these limitations, we introduce PolyTouch, a novel robot finger that
integrates camera-based tactile sensing, acoustic sensing, and peripheral
visual sensing into a single design that is compact and durable. PolyTouch
provides high-resolution tactile feedback across multiple temporal scales,
which is essential for efficiently learning complex manipulation tasks.
Experiments demonstrate an at least 20-fold increase in lifespan over
commercial tactile sensors, with a design that is both easy to manufacture and
scalable. We then use this multi-modal tactile feedback along with
visuo-proprioceptive observations to synthesize a tactile-diffusion policy from
human demonstrations; the resulting contact-aware control policy significantly
outperforms haptic-oblivious policies in multiple contact-aware manipulation
policies. This paper highlights how effectively integrating multi-modal contact
sensing can hasten the development of effective contact-aware manipulation
policies, paving the way for more reliable and versatile domestic robots. More
information can be found at https://polytouch.alanz.info/
