AnySkin
Hardware
robotic touch sensor
SHOW HN2024
How HN took it
10 positive, 29 neutral or asking, 3 mixed, 1 critical, out of 43 comments about the project. Thread score +0.26.
Idea: 6 for, 1 againstDesign: 3 for, 0 againstPricing: 1 for, 0 against
The thread, comment by comment
Each row is a top-level comment and its replies, in HN's order. Select a cell to open that comment on HN.
positive neutral or mixed critical about another commenter or something else the maker
What HN said
What people liked
Replaceable skin design makes manufacturing and maintenance practical
From 3 comments
Nice packaging. Sensors like that have been around for decades, but this is a nice way to package them. The replaceable cover is a big win. "Skin" type sensors have been built…
Animats on HNI don't know anything about this space, but damn, this looks impressive! Could it be used to sort trash and recycling? Could it recalibrate if gunk got on it, or as it aged? (I…
sfink on HNI did some robotics tactile research, it was super fun! We used "biotac" sensors, which are very capable, but are 1) crazy expensive and 2) crazy hard to replace the skins, which…
colinator on HN
Simple fabrication process
From 1 comment
I love the "Fabrication process" graphic. You can't make it simpler than that.
simlevesque on HN
Potential for expressive musical instruments
From 2 comments
This seems like it would be really useful for electronic musical instruments. E.g. Linnstrument (https://www.rogerlinndesign.com/linnstrument) which uses a grid of force sensing…
mkl on HNI think you've misunderstood - there are no robots in my proposal. You use this sensor as a key, then touch it with your finger, and it can detect force and directionality. Put…
mkl on HN
Objections
Access to the magnetizing machine makes fabrication hard
From 1 comment
Seems like the tough part of this is access to the magnetizing machine. I wonder if the same effect could be achieved by placing tiny off the shelf magnets[0] in the molded part…
alnwlsn on HN
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From 1 comment
Nice packaging. Sensors like that have been around for decades, but this is a nice way to package them. The replaceable cover is a big win. "Skin" type sensors have been built…
Animats on HN
Requests
Laundry folding robot
From 1 comment
Please make a laundry folding robot. #aithatmatters
tesch1 on HN
Ask for a sample unit
From 1 comment
I put in a request for one, would love to get my hands on it to integrate with our framework.
a_t48 on HN
Questions
How does it handle environmental magnetic noise
From 1 comment
Very interesting approach! Question: How do you deal with environmental noise and unexpected flux from nearby devices?
kallistisoft on HN
How is it different from ReSkin and what is the IP situation
From 1 comment
How is AnySkin different from ReSkin? And what is the IP situation?
car on HN
Sterilization survivability
From 1 comment
Very cool! This kind of material is potentially very interesting for biotech/lab automation tasks. Any info on surviving sterilization techniques (autoclave, ethylene oxide,…
wdwvt1 on HN
Alternatives named
ReSkin
From 2 comments
This is a very insightful summary, thank you! A few things to add about AnySkin that might be relevant: - AnySkin expressly handles wear and gunk by being replaceable. So if it…
raunaqmb on HNWhile the sensor gives us direction vectors, they serve as good proxies for contact location, as we showed with ReSkin, https://reskin.dev. That being said, the exact quantities…
raunaqmb on HN
BioTac sensors
From 1 comment
I did some robotics tactile research, it was super fun! We used "biotac" sensors, which are very capable, but are 1) crazy expensive and 2) crazy hard to replace the skins, which…
colinator on HN
Takktile sensors
From 1 comment
Very nice, and much easier to manufacture than the old Takktile sensors https://biorobotics.harvard.edu/takktile.html - it also looks like you could use the skins to destructive…
eichin on HN