Articulated Robot Hand

The purpose of this project is to create a robotic hand that articulates and grips objects like a human hand. The robotic hand includes a single miniature servo for each finger joint, as shown in Figures 2 through 4, allowing full and independent articulation of the nine different primary joints in the hand. The motion of each servo, and therefore each finger joint, is governed by a PIC microcontroller. Use of a microcontroller-based control scheme, as opposed to PC-based control, allows for a more portable, versatile design. A buzzer-based warning system notifies the user of any major irregularities in the operation of the robotic hand. The force exerted by the hand on an object being gripped, will be monitored by touch sensors mounted to the end joints of each digit. A small LCD will display information relating to the operational mode of the hand, as well as any relevant user warnings. A set of potentiometers allow the user to manually control the rotational position and reaction speed of each joint. A 4x4 keypad enables the user to navigate an operational menu displayed on the LCD, and to select a preset position in the automatic operating mode