Your design process will be in two stages.

Stage 1 - Prototype

Use the document, “How to make a mechanical robot hand.pdf”, to help you make a prototype robot hand. You will learn about the mechanisms required and how these are similar to human hands. You can also watch Video 2 to see an example of the hand being moved. Can you see the nylon cord ‘tendons’ pulling the fingers to bend them? Wiggle your fingers and you will see the tendons in your wrist moving!

Watch Video 3 to see NASA’s Robonaut2 moving its fingers. What are the similarities to your prototype in how it moves?

Stage 2 - Adapt your design and make

After you have successfully created your prototype hand you need to create your own version which is capable of picking up the cup of liquid. Try picking up a cup of liquid with your prototype to see how much weight it can carry. How well does it work?

Which parts of the prototype robot hand do you need to change to the make them more robust so they can pick up at least 250 grams?

How big should your new robot hand be?

What material should you make the hand out of? Thicker cardboard, plastic, wood, metal? Watch Video 4 to see an example of a metal hand created using the same method as your prototype.

Will the rubber bands be strong enough to hold the weight?

Should you also make a different shape cup that the robot can handle more easily?