For this project, I worked with a team of two other engineers over Zoom. Our goal was to create some sort of robotic device which helped a person pick up objects. After prototyping, we settled on the design seen above with the bulk of the electronics attached to the users arm, a two prong gripper style end effector, and all controlled by a joystick mounted near the thumb.
This is the first prototype I made for this project, made out of cardboard, tape, a ruler, hot glue, rubber bands, toothpicks, and string as a proof of concept of our design.
Here is the bottom side of the initial prototype, where a finger would pull the point where the string is connected together by take to actuate the gripper.
This is the second prototype, a modified version of the first where I added the electronic components of an Arduino Uno, a servo motor, and two 5V batteries, all controlled by the button on the breadboard next to my thumb.
After noticing that the servo motor couldn't deliver enough power to lift up heavy objects, we upgraded to a stronger stepper motor, as well as giving the user more fine control with a joystick module rather than a simple button. All of this was added to the final frame made from 1/16 in laser-cut plywood to keep everything sturdy.
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Robotic Gripper
