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Robotics·Jan 1, 2023
Robotics Hand for Industrial Automation
A multi-DOF robotic hand for basic pick-and-place — built to learn actuator coordination, not to replace your fingers.
Overview
A robotic hand is a great excuse to study how multiple servos behave when they all need to move together without fighting each other or browning out the supply.
The hand uses several servos driven from a microcontroller. Firmware sequences finger positions for simple grip/release motion and pre-set gestures.
Specifications
RolePrototype designer and control developer
MicrocontrollerArduino-class controller
ModulesServo motorsMechanical finger linkages
ProtocolsPWMGPIO
Tech tagsRobotic HandServo ControlIndustrial AutomationArduinoManipulator
Architecture
Controller outputs PWM signals to each servo. Motion presets define grip poses and timing for automated handling.
Videos
Implementation details
Firmware
Firmware maps control commands into servo angles, sequences grasp/release motion, and can be extended for preset gestures or sensor feedback.
Power
Servo motors are powered separately from logic to avoid brownouts during simultaneous movement.
Components / BOM
Arduino controller, Servo motors, Mechanical frame/linkages, External servo supply
Engineering challenges
Coordinating multiple servos without jitter and without dragging the supply down when they all move at once.
Solutions
Powered the servos from a separate rail away from the logic, and sequenced the motion in firmware so the hand looked composed instead of twitchy.
Results & metrics
Demo videos showing the hand walking through pick-and-place sequences.
Future improvements
Force feedback in the fingertips, better gripper geometry, inverse kinematics, and an interface that fits into a small PLC/ROS workflow.