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Final Design
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Fabrication and Assembly
After our initial design was finalized in CAD and verified to work with a minimum viable product, we moved on to implementing the motor. We redesigned our spool to allow for two fingers to connect simultaneously, controlled by the same motor. We also designed our system to work for an alternative motor setup controlled by two co-linear motors.
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Next, through testing, we iterated on the design of the finger to improve key characteristics such as the ability of the finger to spring back to a neutral 90°, the flexibility of the finger to be controlled by the torque of the motors we ordered, and the cable slot size to ensure accuracy while reducing friction/binding. Straps were sewn in a loop at the end of each finger to ensure a clean and stable connection.
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After critical connections were established we designed and fabricated the housing to improve the stability and aesthetics of our designs. We took extra care to manage the wiring to improve the cleanliness and consistency of the electronic portion of our project. The design of the handle allows for easy access to intuitively control the fingers without any complication. Finally all components were assembled and connected with M3 bolts. The tendons were tensioned to correctly “calibrate” them to the neutral position of the servo.
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Electronics and Circuitry
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A 12V 5A regulated power supply provides stable power for the motors and electronics. M3 bolts and nuts are used for structural mounting and securing the actuator assembly. The electronics layout was selected to prioritize reliability, modularity, and ease of future expansion into the full two-finger pinch gripper system.
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Software Development
Potentiometer Variable Control Code
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