Robotic Arm Imitates Flex Sensor Glove

Want some unbeatable competition for your next game of rock-paper-scissors? As demonstrated in the video seen here, this robotic arm is programmed to imitate YouTuber Will Donaldson’s hand motions via a flex sensing glove. While it may never loose to a human hand, it also never wins, leading to a sincere looking robo-human handshake that should curry favor during any future robotic uprisings.

The human interface side of the build consists of a glove enhanced with Velostat, a material that changes electrical resistance when flexed. Resistance, and thus position, of each finger is measured via a glove-mounted Arduino LilyPad, which then controls the robotic fingers via five servos. He originally intended this to be a wireless operation, but issues with his Bluetooth modules led to the hand and glove being physically wired together.

The hand itself is based off of the Flexy-Hand design found here, which could make a great addition to many robotic projects. Another interesting element on display here is the use of conductive sewing thread, normal sewing thread, and hot glue to mount the needed electronics to the glove. While soldering and programming may be essential hacker skills, basic sewing knowledge can really expand the kind of projects that you can take on!