Here’s a robot hand which can be built using mainly hardware store items. It doesn’t have the strongest of grips, however it does have lifelike movement. The presentation video shows it picking up small objects like a metal nut.
The picture above shows the ring as well as pinky fingers of the hand beginning to flex. These are controlled by the servo motors mounted in the palm area. The skeletal structure of each digit begins with the links of a bicycle chain. The links are very first separated by removing the friction fit rods. Each rod is replaced with a screw as well as a nut, which likewise allows the springs (which open the digits) to be anchored at each ‘knuckle’.
[Aaron Thomen] didn’t stop the style process when the hand was finished. He went on to develop a controller which lets you pull some rings with your fingers to impact movement. This motion is measured by a set of potentiometers as well as translated into electrical signals to setting the hand’s servo motors. The demo, as well as two how-to videos are embedded below.
Demo:
How-to part 1:
How-to part 2: