OpenTac adds HDR tactile sensing: one sensor measures light touch and heavy loads at once
_krishna_murthy · x · 2026-11-06
The open-source OpenTac tactile sensor project added high dynamic range (HDR) sensing, removing the trade-off where a sensor either resolves light touch or saturates under load. On the 60-pin readout board, every taxel is first read at the highest gain; saturated taxels are re-read at lower gains within the same frame, so each is reported at the highest non-saturating gain — letting one sensor measure light and heavy contacts simultaneously.
In tests: with HDR off, a stacked load saturated 42 taxels; with HDR on both loads were measured, with a 1,170:1 difference across the sensor in one frame. On a 360-taxel skin resting on a scale, a fixed gain saturated 26 of 45 contacting taxels under a 78 N press and leveled off near 9 N; HDR recovered the range via 1/3 and 1/10 gain re-reads.
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