Santa Susana High School

The Hand of the Future

Building a Robotic Hand

Andrew Schwefler
AP English 12 Period 2
Mrs. P. Bradley
26 October 2016
As technology is rapidly progressing, projects that were once a dream and thought
impossible are now becoming a reality. Technology like self driving cars and self tying shoes

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have jump off the pages of books and movie screens and into real life. One of the most iconic
pieces of sci-fi technology is the robotic hand. The robotic hand has only seen in TV and movies,
like the Terminator, and was thought impossible, until now. Robotic hand technology has
skyrocketed within the last few years and helps give people who do not hast hands a functioning
hand. For my senior project, I will be creating a 3D printed robotic hand that will be controlled
by a flex sensor glove.
I am building a robotic hand because it will be a good way for me to dive straight into the
world of engineering. This project will also help me certify in STEM. Building robotic hand will
let me experience what an engineering career is like and will let me know if being an engineer is
the right choice for me.
After the physical project is completely, I will have a fully functional 3D printed robotic
hand. The hand will be able to open and close and grab a hold of object. The fingers of the hand
should be able to move and be triggered by the motions of a human hand wearing the control
glove. I do know a little about the knowledge required to take on such a task. I have taken the
Robotics and Engineering class, so I had a little introduction to circuits and also how to build a
robot. In that class, we also had a unit on 3D printing and how to print objects using a 3D printer.
Through AP Computer Science, I learned a basic knowledge of Java and programming.
However, I will need to learn more in order to make this project a success. I will need to
learn how to use and code Arduino parts and set up flex sensors. The hardest part of the project
will be setting up and programming the Arduino parts and the flex sensors correctly. Designing
the hand itself and creating a file the 3D printer can read and print will be a challenge. While I
have some experience with 3D modeling programs like Inventor, I do not know them well
enough to design my own robotic hand model.

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This task is a learning stretch because it is something I have never done before, or even
attempted. While I do have every basic knowledge of the task required to build a robotic arm, I
do not know the well enough to make this senior project a breeze. Making this robotic arm will
be a great challenge. I have not done anything similar to this in a club or class, building this
hand will be a first time experience for me. This research will give me the other knowledge and
information required in order to successfully build the hand. Building this 3D printed robotic
hand will reveal to me how to use Arduino parts and flex sensors, how to use 3D printers, and
most importantly, how to build a robotic hand.
3D printing will be a very important part to this project for the hand itself will
need to be 3D printed. Many robotic hands are being made from 3D printed material, like the
Yale OpenHand Project (Yale OpenHand Project). The Yale Openhand Project is a 3D printed
robotic hand that is used to provide an inexpensive robot that encourages more variation and
innovation in mechanical designs and hardware (Yale OpenHand Project). This robotic hand
project has many different designs for different task that could be modified for this project. In
order to 3D print objects, they must be designed on a 3D designing software. There are many 3D
modeling softwares out there to use, but some of the best ones include Autodesk Inventor,
AutoCAD, Autodesk Fusion 360 (Best 3D Modeling Software Tools). All of these applications
can be used to design and create 3D models for the robotic hand (Best 3D Modeling Software
Tools). The design also has to be in scale for it will de printed with the given dimensions of the
CAD file.
There are many steps, constraints, and requirements when printing from a 3D printer. For
example, there are dimension constraints; which are 10.5 x 5.5 x 4.75 in or 266 x 140 x 120 mm
(Tips for 3D Printed Parts). One thing to be aware of is that dimensions change from the CAD

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file design to the actual object. The printed object has slightly smaller dimensions than the
original design from the software (Tips for 3D Printed Parts). The 3D printer prints projects in
layers, so there must be supports and rafts under parts of the object (Tips for 3D Printed Parts).
3D printing does take awhile to print the desired object and make take a few tries to get the
perfect model, but it is the easiest and cheapest way to make the structure of the hand (Bonini
et. al).While 3D printing is not a necessarily a hard task or the most difficult aspect of the
project, 3D printing should not be glossed over for it is a process that is enntinail to the robotic
hand.
Arduino circuits and parts are essential to the robotic hand for they will power the robotic
hand and make the hand functional. While there are many other options that could also be used,
Arduino is one of the simplest yet efficient and cost affordable products to use. Arduino parts are
easy to get started parts for projects like building a robotic arm (Bonini et. al.). The Arduino
product come in kits for different projects, which all come with open-source microcontrollers. A
microcontroller is small computer on a single integrated circuit containing a processor core,
memory, and programmable input/output peripherals (Smith). The microcontroller acts as the
brain for the whole hand for the microcontroller is where the memory is stored, contains the
processor, and is what executes the commands given (Smith). Arduino products will help make
the hand work by making the fingers move, thus making Arduino a crucial part of the design.
In order for the Arduino products to function and work, they must be programmed. To
program Arduino parts, they must be coded. Arduino products can coded to respond to sensors,
like motion or light sensors, and can respond to the surrounding environment (Hacking
Arduino: Extending and Developing It). The Arduino products can also be coded to have man
different inputs and outputs like lighting up, making sounds, showing different displays, or

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moving parts of an object (Hacking Arduino: Extending and Developing It). There are aspects
of coding Arduino that must be learned in order to program the product efficiently. The
programing language for Arduino is loosely based off of the C programming language (Tablot).
Arduinos programming language is composed of four basic elements: expressions, statements,
statement blocks, and function blocks (Tablot). For most project, an Arduino microcontroller is
connected to a breadboard which houses the various components of the circuit, such as resistors
and capacitors and is used execute given code and programs (Tablot). Programming the Arduino
microcontrollers and other parts are fairly simple and will deliver and good functionality.
Flex sensors will help control the robotic hand and give the hand commands. The flex
sensors will make everything come together and make the hand itself move. Flex sensors are
sensors that can sense the amount of pressure and change in resistance on them (Flex Sensors).
The flex sensors convert the change in resistance into electrical resistance and energy; the more
bend that is put on them, the more electrical energy they create (Flex Sensors). When on the
glove that controls the robotic hand, they will bend in order to make the hand move and grab
onto different objects. They are flexible and meant to bend, but there level of flexibility can be
changed by the amount of copper in them (Flex Sensors). The less copper in the flex sensors,
the more sensitive they will be. Flex sensors have many different uses such as uses for fitness,
musical instruments, virtual reality games, robotics, and many more (Flex Sensors). When
attaching the flex sensors to the glove that will control the hand, one sensor should be mounted
on each joint of each fingers so that when arm movement presses and moves it, that can be used
as input (Dixit). Movements of the human hand can be detected by the flex sensors, and then will
transmit the change in resistance to the robotic hand unit, thus causing the fingers of the hand to
move (Dixit).

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Robotics hands are becoming very useful today and is expanding more and more
everyday. 3D robotic arms offer a reasonably cost prosthetic arm for those who need it,
compared to other robotic prosthetic hands (Bonini et. al.). Robotic hand technology is also
advancing rehabilitation by using similar technology to reactive a limb that no longer functions
(Sattler). 3D printed robotic hands are just the beginning of robotic prosthetics for new
technology will enhance robotic hands even further.
From this research, I have gained a good amount of knowledge and information that will
help me make this robotic hand a complete success. I will be able to use most of the research I
did in order to create and build the robotic hand.
I research many things, like about 3D printing. While I did know a little about 3D
printing before the research, I needed to know more for this project. I wanted to know what
programs would be good for designing 3D models and how the process of 3D printing worked.
3D printing is very essential to the project because that is how I will design and obtain the
robotic hand itself. The 3D printed hand is the backbone of the whole project. Without the hand,
there would be no senior project.
Arduino products are a very big part of the project, so it was important that I research
Arduino to find out more about what they are and how to use them. Before the research, I only
knew Arduino by there name. I learned that they are microcontrollers and that they will power
the robotic arm and help move the robotic hands fingers. I also researched how to code Arduino,
because I did not know how to before. I did not a little amount of Java, but Arduinos coding
language is similar to C. Since Arduinos coding language is C, I will need to learn how code in
C and Arduinos language. I researched coding Arduino because I need to program the hand for it
to function properly.

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I also did some research on flex sensors and how they work. Flex sensors will help
control the hand. The flex sensors will sense the movement of the human hand, and will make
the robotic hand perform that same movement. Before researching flex sensors, I did not
anything about them, all I knew is what they looked like. Through my research, I learned how
they work, the different ways the can be used, and how I can use them for my senior project.
I can use all of the research I did to help me in my project. All of the research I did were
on areas that I needed more knowledge on and areas I did not even know a whole lot about. The
information I got gave me a better understand about the physical side of my senior project and
the technical side of my senior project. I can use the research of 3D printing and 3D design to
help me print the hand and design it in a 3D modeling application. For the research about
Arduino parts and circuits, I can my findings to help me set up the microcontroller to hand, set
up the circuits, and code the microcontroller to make the fingers on the hand move in and out.
I researched flex sensors so I could understand how they work, know how I should set them up
on the glove, and also know how to program them. After all of the research, I feel I have a better
grasp on this project, but that does not mean this will not be a challenge anymore. Anything will
be a great challenge when creating something that was once thought impossible.

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Work Cited
Best 3D Modeling Software Tools all3dp.com. 14 May 2016.
https://all3dp.com/best-3d-modeling-software/. Accessed 24 September 2016.
Bonini, Nicholas, Nithya Iyer, David Kim, Katherine Mathison, Lauren Wellons. Robotic
Hand in Motion Using Arduino-Controlled Servos. rutger.edu. Rutgers School of
Engineering. 2014.
http://soe.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/imce/pdfs/gset-2014/Robotic%20Hand%2
0in%20Motion%20Final%20Paper.pdf. Accessed 23 September 2016.
Dixit, Shantanu, Nitin S. Shingi. Implementation of Flex sensors and Electronic
Compass for Hand Gestures Based Wireless Automation of Material Handling
Robot. citeseerx.ist.psu.edu. Walchand Institute of Technology Solapur.
December 2012.
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.301.3966&rep=rep1&ty
pe=pdf. Accessed 23 September 2016.

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Flex Sensors edge.rit.edu.
http://edge.rit.edu/edge/P10010/public/TESTING%20RESULTS/Flex/Documentation/Fl
ex%20Sensor%20Datasheet%20and%20information.pdf Accessed 8 October 2016.
Hacking Arduino: Extending and Developing It Arduino.cc. Arduino.
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/HomePage. Accessed 8 September 2016.
Sattler, Brian. Robotic hand first step toward rehabilitation system. Lamar.edu. Lamar
University. 16 August 2016.
https://www.lamar.edu/news-and-events/news/2016/08/robotic-hand-first-step-to
Ward-rehabilitation-system.html. Accessed 23 September 2016.
Smith, Allen. Introduction to Arduino: A piece of cake! princeton.edu. Princeton
University. 30 Sep. 2011.
http://www.princeton.edu/~ffab/media___downloads_files/IntroArduinoBook.pdf
Accessed 7 September 2016.
Tablot, Kathleen. Using Arduino to Design a Myoelectric Prosthetic
Igitalcommons.csbsju.edu. College of Saint Benedict and Saint Johns University.
2014.
http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=hono
rs_theses. Accessed 24 September 2016.
Tips for 3D Printed Parts innovationstation.utexas.edu. The University of Texas. 2014.
https://innovationstation.utexas.edu/tip-design/. Accessed 7 September 2016.
Yale OpenHand Project. eng.yale.edu. Yale University.
https://www.eng.yale.edu/grablab/openhand/. Accessed 9 September 2016.

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Bibliography
Best 3D Modeling Software Tools all3dp.com. 14 May 2016.
https://all3dp.com/best-3d-modeling-software/. Accessed 24 September 2016.
This article talks about the best 3D modeling applications out there today. The arguments
are saying why each modeling tool is the best to be used. This article supports its ideas by
stating the features of each program.
This is a reliable source because this article comes from a 3D printing website. The
author is the people that run the website, so they know what they are talking about. This
article is a little biased because it is mostly an opinion article.
Bonini, Nicholas, Nithya Iyer, David Kim, Katherine Mathison, Lauren Wellons. Robotic
Hand in Motion Using Arduino-Controlled Servos. rutger.edu. Rutgers School of
Engineering. 2014.
http://soe.rutgers.edu/sites/default/files/imce/pdfs/gset-2014/Robotic%20Hand%2
0in%20Motion%20Final%20Paper.pdf. Accessed 23 September 2016.
The authors of this paper explain the steps they took and the tools the needed to make a
motion sensored robotic hand. They go into great detail of how they assembled the hand
so if needed, one can perfectly replicate their process of building a robotic hand.

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The paper even has a section about the problems they encountered and how the dealt with
those obstacles so one can avoid them.
This paper was made by five university students as a project. While the authors are
students, they still do provide very reliable and credible work. The students are apart of
New Jersey Governor's School of Engineering and Technology, and this lab report can be
found on Rutger School of Engineering website. This paper wasnt released too long ago
and provides only facts for they are presenting their experiment and not their opinions.
Dixit, Shantanu, Nitin S. Shingi. Implementation of Flex sensors and Electronic
Compass for Hand Gestures Based Wireless Automation of Material Handling
Robot. citeseerx.ist.psu.edu. Walchand Institute of Technology Solapur.
December 2012.
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.301.3966&rep=rep1&ty
pe=pdf. Accessed 23 September 2016.
The report is about flex sensors being used to control a robotic hand and how
they work to make the hand move. Authors, Dr. Dixit and Mr. Shingi, explain in detail
how the sensors make the hand do the requested motions and how they are set up. They
state that flex motion sensors enhance the ability to control robots. Both authors are from
Walchand Institute of Technology Solapur, with one author have a doctorate degree. They
information they provide is mosts factual, yet leans towards having the reader believe that
flex motion sensors are one of the superior ways of controlling robots. The paper is from
2012, so it's to very out of date, but more technology in improving flex sensors has come
out since then end of that year.
Flex Sensors edge.rit.edu.

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http://edge.rit.edu/edge/P10010/public/TESTING%20RESULTS/Flex/Documentation/Fl
ex%20Sensor%20Datasheet%20and%20information.pdf Accessed 8 October 2016.
This article give information about flex sensors. The articles tells the reader what they
are, what they can be used, and how they work. There are pictures and examples to get
the information across more clearly.
This article is a credible source because it comes for edge.rit.edu. While the article is
contains information from more than one source, the informations between the two do not
contradict each other. This article is not heavily opinionated.
Hacking Arduino: Extending and Developing It Arduino.cc. Arduino.
https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/HomePage. Accessed 8 September 2016.
This web page is to provide assistance and tips for anyone using Arduino, mostly in the
coding processes. This article provides help to those need need assistance in coding
Arduino to make their projects work. They provide many tutorials on different subjects or
problems.
This article was made by Arduino to help customers use their product. The article gives
mostly facts, for they are helping people who already bought their product. This article
seems to always be update when there is something new, so no information is out of date.

Sattler, Brian. Robotic hand first step toward rehabilitation system. Lamar.edu. Lamar
University. 16 August 2016.
https://www.lamar.edu/news-and-events/news/2016/08/robotic-hand-first-step-to
Ward-rehabilitation-system.html. Accessed 23 September 2016.
Brian Sattler describes Lamar University is creating 3D printed robotic hands to

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be used for a rehabilitation system. He describes how they made them and what they will
be used for. Sattler also gives information about the design of the robotic hands.
The publisher of this article is Lamar University, and the author is from that university.
The article is mostly factual and is credible. This article was published very recently,
provided up to date information.
Smith, Allen. Introduction to Arduino: A piece of cake! princeton.edu. Princeton
University. 30 Sep. 2011.
http://www.princeton.edu/~ffab/media___downloads_files/IntroArduinoBook.pdf
Accessed 7 September 2016.
This tutorial book, written by Allen G. Smith, provides step by step guides in how to use
Arduino circuits. Smith gives help on how to properly use Arduino products in order to
produce successful projects. In the book, Smith explains what all the parts and circuits
do, how to set them up, and how to properly code them.
Allen G. Smith writes books on how to use Arduino products. The sponsor for this pdf is
Princeton University and a very credible source. This pdf is mainly factual for the author
explains how to use the circuits and does not give his opinion on topics.
Tablot, Kathleen. Using Arduino to Design a Myoelectric Prosthetic
Igitalcommons.csbsju.edu. College of Saint Benedict and Saint Johns University.
2014.
http://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1052&context=hono
rs_theses. Accessed 24 September 2016.
Kathleen Talbot explains different information about prosthetics and how Arduino helps
improve on them. She tells the read about the muscle movement and prosthetics

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movement. She ties everything on why Arduino is the best option to use when making
robotic prosthetics like robotic arms and hands.
This is a research paper by Kathleen Talbot who is a student at Saint Benedict and Saint
Johns University. Her paper is well research and is mostly factual, telling the reader
about prosthetics, electromyography, and mostly Arduino. This was published in 2014
and is not too out of date for my research.
Tips for 3D Printed Parts innovationstation.utexas.edu. The University of Texas. 2014.
https://innovationstation.utexas.edu/tip-design/. Accessed 7 September 2016.
This article talks about 3D printing, and how to 3D products of your own. The
article goes over many important aspects about 3D printing like designing the object and
how to print. Also, the article covers the technically aspect of #D printing like setting up
the printer and loading up the film used to print.
The article was made by the Cockrell School of Engineering at the University of Texas.
They are a credible source for they are a university. The article is very thorough in
explaining 3D printing, in the the technical and creative side of 3D printing. While
published in 2014 and not having been updated for some time, the source still is not very
out of date.
Yale OpenHand Project. eng.yale.edu. Yale University.
https://www.eng.yale.edu/grablab/openhand/. Accessed 9 September 2016.
The Yale OpenHand Project, is an advanced 3D printed robotic hand. There are
many different hand designs to the robotic hand. The hand itself is 3D printed
and is used to create a multi-material, monolithic structure.

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The publisher of this article is Yale University, which is a credible source. This article is
most factual for it is telling the reader about the Yale OpenHand Project. However, the
paper could give more detail and information about the project.