The Role of Tactile Sensing for Learning Reach and Grasp

Abstract: Stable and robust robotic grasping is essential for current and future robot applications. In recent works, the use of large datasets and supervised learning has enhanced speed and precision in antipodal grasping. However, these methods struggle with perception and calibration errors due to large planning horizons. To obtain more robust and reactive grasping motions, leveraging reinforcement learning combined with tactile sensing is a promising direction. Yet, there is no systematic evaluation of how the complexity of force-based tactile sensing affects the learning behavior for grasping tasks. This paper compares various tactile and environmental setups using two model-free reinforcement learning approaches for antipodal grasping. Our findings suggest that under imperfect visual perception, various tactile features improve learning outcomes, while complex tactile inputs complicate training.