ROBOTIC HAND

Building Machines that

Emulate Humans
Lesson plan and more resources are
available at: aka.ms/hackingstem
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 Activity Overview
This activity integrates life science with robotics, while incorporating crucial 21st century
v engineering, for an
technical skills like data science; software, mechanical and electrical
authentic learning experience. Emphasis is placed on the importance of combining
science and technology to reflect the mechanics of the human body. 

View the full lesson plans mapped to NGSS and ISTE standards, materials and activities
to support this unit at aka.ms/hackingSTEMrobotichand

Build and Learn

Students build a sensor that measures the flexion and extension to learn about
tracking the movement of a human finger. Next, they assemble a cardboard glove
Contents
and attach multiple sensors to visualize how bones work within the skeletal system.
02 Activity Overview
03 Part 1: Articulated Finger
Connect Your Tools 05 Thing’s You’ll Need
Students connect their sensorized glove (and/or finger) to the Excel workbook via an 08 Part 2: Robotic Finger
Arduino Uno microcontroller. Utilizing the graphics in Excel, students determine the 09 Thing’s you’ll need
flexion extended by fingers when contracted.
21 Part 3: Connecting
20 Things You’ll Need
25 Upload the code
Visualize the Data
26 Cordoba Instructions
Students run trials with the Sensorized Glove and Robotic Hand to generate ideas to
27 Workbook Basics
improve the range of tasks it can accomplish. Using a customized Excel workbook,
students can see real-time data input and analyze it. 28 Part 4: Robotic Hand
29 Things You’ll Need
32 Connecting Entire Hand
38 Rock, Paper Scissors
39 Templates

Hack our projects

We love innovation and
encourage you to hack our
projects and make them
your own. Submit your ideas
at aka.ms/hackingstem

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PART 1

Articulated Finger
Students build an analog articulated finger out of a straw to understand the anatomy of the
bones in the finger and how the muscles around them move.

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Things you’ll need to build
Note: if you plan on building the entire hand, you will need 5x these amounts.

Materials
1 milkshake straw
50 cm braided dacron kite thread, or fishing line
1 wide rubber band (size #16)
felt
1 straw and felt pattern (pg. 7)

Toolkit
scissors
Scotch tape
hot glue gun + glue sticks
Sharpie marker

Making for a group or need help finding materials?

View the shopping list to calculate quantities and links to materials at: aka.ms/robotichandshoppinglist

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Construct Your Finger

1 | Align straw to the template on pg. 7. 2 | Using the spacing guide, replicate the three different
sized triangles on your straw with a marker on both sides.

3 | Carefully cut out a notch at the marks using the inside of 4 | Cut a piece of thread 50 cm in length. Drop it through
the scissor blades to prevent the straw from snapping. the straw, leaving about 7 cm hanging out of the top (the
distal end).

5 | Wind the thread around the top section twice. 6 | Tape the thread to the straw.

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7 | Check finger functionality by pulling the straw. The digits 8 | Apply the bone labels.
should bend progressively and in order, from top to
bottom.

9 | Cut out the finger bones from the felt, using the pattern 10 | Hot glue the felt bones to your straw finger opposite
on pg. 7 as a guide. your cut holes, except for the metacarpal, which will be
applied a bit later when building the robotic finger.

11 | Cut the rubber band into small pieces and glue them 12 | Test your articulated finger by pulling the string.
opposite the bones, to act as finger pads and provide grip.

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-7-
PART 2

Robotic Finger Sensor

Students build a flex sensor out of everyday materials and then turn their articulated finger
into a robotic finger.

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Things you’ll need to build
Note: if you plan on building the entire hand, you will need 5x these amounts.

Materials Toolkit
1 completed articulated finger scissors
1 piece of craft heavy card stock or a flattened cereal box scotch tape
2 pieces of Cardboard (22 cm x 28 cm) wire strippers
1 hand template, chosen based on your hand size (pg. 39) single hole punch
1 robotic hand base template (pg. 41) utility knife
1 mini bread board (40 holes) duct tape
3 medium rubber bands hot glue gun
2 strips of Velostat plastic, 1 cm x 8 cm
4 strips of copper tape, 7 cm long
2 pieces of 30 cm solid core wire
1 servo motor

Making for a group or need help finding materials?

View the shopping list to calculate quantities and links to materials at: aka.ms/robotichandshoppinglist

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Make a rig for sensor building

1 | A simple U-shaped guide makes sensor building easy. 2 | Wrap the resulting tabs with tape, this will provide you
Cut a piece of cardboard to roughly 20 cm x 16 cm. Next, cut with a base that has a non-stick surface to build sensor
out a notch about 3.5 cm deep and 11 cm long. layers. Congrats! You have built a U-shaped guide.

3 | Select and print a template based on your hand size (pg. 4 | Cut out the template and trace your pattern onto kraft
39 & 40). Print at 100% with no scaling. paper or the inside of the flattened cereal box. Keep the
templates as a guide for placing copper tape and wires
later.

5 | Cut out the traced cardboard templates and use a hole 6 | Label your cut-out finger splints so that you do not get
punch to cut out the holes for your wires. Use a utility knife the fingers mixed up.
to cut the tabs in the wrist cuff.

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Make the Finger Sensor
Sensor Layer Overview

11. clear tape

10. Copper tape
9. wire
8. copper tape
7. velostat strip
6. velostat strip
5. copper tape
4. wire
3. copper tape

2. finger splint
1. clear tape

7 | Take your index finger splint and materials to begin 8 | Place a piece of adhesive tape, sticky side down, over the
making a sensor. entire length of the Index finger splint to act as a base layer.

9 | Flip over your splint and remove the backing from one 10 | Strip 2 cm of the plastic coating from the end of the wire,
strip of copper tape and adhere it to the center of the exposing the metal strand inside.
splint.

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11 | Bend the exposed end of the wire. 12 | Place the wire loop at the end of the copper tape.

13 | Peel the backing from a second strip of copper tape 14 | Press firmly to seal the wire loop between the two
and attach it directly over the first and the wire loop. strips. Avoid bends and folds in the copper tape. Pro Tip:
Wrap clear tape around the end of the splint to secure the
wire to the splint and keep it from moving around.

The base layer is now complete!

11. clear tape

10. Copper tape
9. wire
8. copper tape
7. velostat strip
6. velostat strip
5. copper tape
4. wire
3. copper tape

2. finger splint
1. clear tape

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15 | The U-shaped guide will help you build the second half 16 | Flip the guide over so that the tape is sticky side up,
of the sensor. Place a piece of adhesive tape between the place copper tape sticky side up.
two tabs.

17 | Fully remove the backing on the copper tape. 18 | Strip 2 cm of the plastic coating from the end of the
second wire to reveal the solid metal core.

19 | Bend the exposed end of the wire into a loop. 20 | Place the wire on top of the copper tape like before.

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21 | Place another piece of copper tape, sticky side down 22 | Obtain your finger splint. Take two strips of Velostat
pressing firmly to secure a good electrical connection. Set and place both directly over the base layer of the sensor.
aside your U-shaped guide sensor.

23 | Your finger splint should look like the photo above.
24 | Flip the sensor half from the U-shaped guide over and
attach it directly on top of the finger splint, encasing the
Velostat strips. Make sure the copper strips are not
touching and are completely separated by the Velostat and
your wires are facing the same direction.

25 | Snip the tape from the top and bottom edges of the
finger splint so it may be removed from the U-shaped guide
and move freely.

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 Your sensor is now complete.

11. clear tape

10. Copper tape
9. wire
8. copper tape
7. velostat strip
6. velostat strip
5. copper tape
4. wire
3. copper tape

2. finger splint
1. clear tape

26 | Check your sensor layers using the guide above. Pro Tip: wrap clear tape around the end of the splint to secure the
wires to the splint and keep the connection tight.

27 | Take a piece of clear tape and rip it down the middle. 28 | Place the half strips of tape over the edges of the
You will need both sides so keep them handy. cardboard as shown in the picture above.

29 | Pinch the tabs closed and tape the edges together. The 30 | Bend the edges down so you can easily fit your finger
sensor layers should be on the side opposite the finger through the slots.
holes.

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31 | Strip .5 cm of coating from the ends of both wires. 32 | Try on your finger to make sure it fits and will flex with
your finger movement.

33 | Using your hot glue gun, attach the mini breadboard to 34 | Thread your finger sensor through the index section of
the wristband. Be mindful of left hand right hand. the metacarpal (palm) plate.

35 | Tie rubber bands through the bottom left and right 36 | Slip the cuff through the bottom loops.
holes of the plate.

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37 | The diagram above shows where the index finger sensor should be plugged into the breadboard. It does not matter which
of the two wire ends go into which hole, as long as they each go into one of the two allotted.

38 | Use the tabs you cut with the utility knife earlier to help 39 | Pull the tabs that best fits your wrist size through the
secure the wrist cuff. Double a rubber band and slide it over two hole punches on the Top Flap, then slide the rubber
the cuff. band over the flap and under the tabs to secure the cuff.

40 | Congratulations! You have completed your Sensorized .

Finger and are now ready to move on to the robotic finger.

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Make the Robotic Finger

1 | Use the template to cut out the fingers and base of the 2 | Glue the metacarpal bone to the opposite side of the
Robotic Hand on pg. 41 & 42. cutout on a cardboard finger piece.

3 | Flip over the cardboard piece and glue the straw finger 4 | The rectangular cutout at the bottom of the cardboard
to the other side. will house the servo.

5 | Insert the servo motor into the straw finger as show, 6 | Secure the servo to the cardboard with hot glue.
with the bulk of the motor sitting on the side where the felt
bones are attached.

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7 | Attach your servo arm to the motor and rotate it to the 8 | Thread your string or line through the top hole of the
right as far as it will go. Then, remove the servo arm and arm.
reattach it so that it is vertical and that the longer arm is
pointing directly towards the straw.

9 | Pull the string tight so that the distal bone is slightly 10 | Wrap the string around the cross bar in a figure 8
flexed. several times to keep the string tight. Tape or glue the
string to secure it to the servo arm and trim it as needed.
Set aside.

11 | Gather the remaining cardboard pieces you cut to build 12 | Take the smallest of the 3 pieces, and glue upright to
the palm. the center of the base, with the middle slit up.

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13 | Locate the slit in the palm and slide that piece over the 14 | Attach the robotic index finger to the palm by fitting
base support. the servos into the punch out that has a thumb punch-out
below it. This is your index finger cutout.

15 | Secure with glue. 16 | Your robotic finger is now complete and ready to
connect to the finger sensor. Good work!

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PART 3

Connect and Visualize

Students connect their robotic finger and finger sensor to an Arduino Uno to visualize flexion
and extension in Excel.

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Things you’ll need to connect
Materials
1 Arduino UNO
9 male-to-male jumper wires
1 100 Ohm Resistors
1 large breadboard (5 cm x 3 cm)
1 USB Cable type A to type B
1 fifteen pin header
1 paper clip
1 5V power supply

Toolkit
wire strippers
electrical tape

Making for a group or need help finding materials?

View the shopping list to calculate quantities and links to materials at: aka.ms/robotichandshoppinglist

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Modify Your Power Supply
1 | Using wire cutters, cut the connector from the end of the
power supply.
9 | Straighten the paper clip and cut it into two 5 cm pieces.
11 | Using pliers, bend the paper clip over the wrapped wire.
This prevents the wire from slipping off the paper clip.
Repeat steps 10 and 11 for the other wire.
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2 | Strip the outside insulation as needed. Separate the
negative and positive wires. Remove about 2 cm of
insulation from the ends of those wires.
10 | Line up one piece of the paper clip with one of the wire
ends and wrap the wire around the end, as shown in the
photo above.
12 | Wrap black electrical tape around the end of the
unmarked black negative wire (as opposed to the red or
white-dashed positive wire) ensuring that the end of the
paper clip can be inserted into the breadboard. Repeat the
previous 3 steps with the positive wire, using red tape.
Connect to the Arduino

1 | Connect your modified power supply to the 2 | Connect your 15-pin header into the breadboard
breadboard. This powers the servo motor.

3 | Insert your 100 ohm resistor to the breadboard. The 4 | Finally, connect your 9 jumper wires paying close
direction of the resistor does not matter. attention to placement from the diagram above.

5 | Connect your servo into the pin header so that your

servo signal wire (usually the yellow or lighter color wire)
lines up to the jumper wire from pin 2.

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Flash Your Arduino UNO

1 | Install the Arduino IDE from the Technical Requirement 2 | Go to https://aka.ms/biomechanicsarduinocode and
link on the lesson page at aka.ms/hackingSTEM or through download the flash code.
the Microsoft Store. Follow prompts to complete the
installation.

9 | Open your downloaded file to launch the Arduino app. 10 | In the Arduino app, select: Tools > Port > COM 3
(Arduino/Genuino Uno). Your port may be different than
COM3.

11 | Then select Tools > Board: Arduino/Genuino Uno. 12 | Click on the circular right arrow button to upload.

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Get ready to visualize data
To run the Data Streamer Add-in, make sure you meet these technical requirements:

• PC running Windows 10 and Excel 2016 (Desktop)

• Data Streamer Add-in: Update your existing copy of Microsoft Excel 2016 with a free add-in to support real-time data
streaming from your projects available at: aka.ms/data-streamer
• Customized Excel Workbook available at: aka.ms/biomechanicsworkbook

Once you have downloaded the Data Streamer Add-in, open up Excel and get yourself acquainted with the UI:

To connect your Arduino, you need to

plug in your device to your computer via
USB and then click “Connect a Device”

Once your device is connected, select “Start Data” to begin

streaming data into Excel. If you do not click “Start Data”
when your device is plugged in, you will not see any live data.

If you have recorded and saved a data file (.csv),

you can import it with this button

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Download the Workbook
To run the full project, make sure you meet these technical requirements:

 PC running Windows 10 and Excel 2016 (Desktop)

 Data Streamer Add-in: Update your existing copy of Microsoft Excel 2016 with a free add-in to support real-time data
streaming from your projects available at: aka.ms/data-streamer
 Customized Excel Workbook available at: aka.ms/biomechanicsworkbook

Choose the radio button for the This chart shows the amount of flexion
hand you are using to control your finger exerts when contracted
the robotic finger

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PART 4

Complete Robotic Hand

Students can incorporate what they have learned in the previous sections to build an entire
robotic hand to control.

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Things you’ll need to connect
Materials Toolkit
5x materials from part 1 (pg. 4) wire strippers
5x materials from part 2 (pg. 9)

1 Arduino UNO
29 solderless breadboard jumper wires
5 100 Ohm Resistors
1 large breadboard (5 cm x 3 cm)
1 USB Cable type A to type B
1 length of solid core wire, roughly 2 cm long
1 fifteen pin header
1 modified power supply (pg. 23)

Making for a group or need help finding materials?

View the shopping list to calculate quantities and links to materials at: aka.ms/robotichandshoppinglist

- 29 -
Build out all materials for hand

1 | Repeat steps 7-26 from Part 2 to complete the 4 other 2 | Thread the fingers into your glove.
fingers sensors.

3 | Insert your finger sensor wires into the mini breadboard as shown in the diagram above. Loop rubber bands through
the bottom left and right holes of the plate and slip the cuff through the bottom loops.

5 | Strip about .5 cm from both ends of your small solid 6 | Pull the tabs that best fits your wrist size through the
core wire and insert it into the mini breadboard as shown. two hole punches on the Top Flap, then slide the rubber
band over the flap and under the tabs to secure the
cuff. You are now ready to finish the robotic hand.

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Complete Robotic Hand

1 | Repeat steps 1-12 from Part 1 to complete 3 2 | Next make a thumb by cutting a straw finger, then
articulated fingers and then repeat steps 2-16 from Part 2 removing the bottom section which would act as the
metacarpal on the finger.
to connect the fingers to the base of the hand.

3 | Attach finger bone labels as shown. 4 | Cut out felt bones and attach to the thumb. Follow the
steps to complete the thumb with finger pads and the
cardboard, as done in the finger instructions.

5 | Glue the thumb onto the last cardboard cutout like 6 | Your robotic hand is now ready to be connected to the
photo above and insert the servo the same as the other Arduino. Nice work!
fingers.

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Connecting the Thumb
These instructions are a continuation from the previous section where you completed the index finger and connected it to your
breadboard. Therefore, some of the breadboarding you see below will not be called out. Your Arduino Uno should already have
the code uploaded to it from Part 3 and the Excel workbook should be open and ready for testing your fingers one by one when
connecting. These are very intensive breadboarding instructions so make sure to inspect the diagrams carefully and test often.

3
4
5 2
5

1 | Insert your servo into the pin header as shown in the 2 | Connect your next 100 ohm resistor
diagram above.

3 | Connect 5 more solderless wires between the Arduino
UNO and the breadboards to connect the thumb.
4 | Connect your Arduino to your computer via the USB
cable and test to make sure your finger is working
correctly. Make sure to select start data in the project
Cordoba ribbon or you will not be able to stream data
from the Arduino Uno into Excel.

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Connecting the Middle Finger
1 | Insert your servo into the pin header as shown in the
diagram above.
3 | Connect 5 more solderless wires between the Arduino
UNO and the breadboards to connect the thumb.
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2 | Connect your next 100 ohm resistor
4 | Connect your Arduino to your computer via the USB
cable and test to make sure your finger is working
correctly. Make sure to select start data in the project
Cordoba ribbon or you will not be able to stream data
from the Arduino Uno into Excel.
Connecting the Ring Finger

3
2

1 | Insert your servo into the pin header as shown in the 2 | Connect your next 100 ohm resistor
diagram above.

3 | Connect 5 more solderless wires between the Arduino
UNO and the breadboards to connect the thumb.
4 | Connect your Arduino to your computer via the USB
cable and test to make sure your finger is working
correctly. Make sure to select start data in the project
Cordoba ribbon or you will not be able to stream data
from the Arduino Uno into Excel.

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Connecting the Pinky Finger

3
2

1 | Insert your servo into the pin header as shown in the 2 | Connect your next 100 ohm resistor
diagram above.

3 | Connect 5 more solderless wires between the Arduino
UNO and the breadboards to connect the thumb.
4 | Connect your Arduino to your computer via the USB
cable and test to make sure your finger is working
correctly. Make sure to select start data in the project
Cordoba ribbon or you will not be able to stream data
from the Arduino Uno into Excel.

- 35 -
Download the Workbook
To run the full project, make sure you meet these technical requirements:

 PC running Windows 10 and Excel 2016 (Desktop)

 Data Streamer Add-in: Update your existing copy of Microsoft Excel 2016 with a free add-in to support real-time data
streaming from your projects available at: aka.ms/data-streamer
 Customized Excel Workbook available at: aka.ms/biomechanicsworkbook

Choose the radio button for the This chart shows the amount of flexion
hand you are using to control your finger exerts when contracted
the robotic finger

- 36 -
Rock, Paper, Scissors Extension
Rock, Paper,
Rock, Paper, Scissors
ScissorsExtension
Extension
With your glove connected to the Data Streamer Add-in, you can play Rock, Paper, Scissors (RPS) with Excel. Get the
customized Excel Workbook at: aka.ms/rps-workbook

Withyour
With yourglove
gloveconnected
connectedtotothe
theProject
ProjectCordoba
Cordobaadd-in,
add-in,you
youcan
canplay
playRock,
Rock,Paper,
Paper,Scissors
Scissors(RPS)
(RPS)with
withExcel.
Excel.

Gamebasics
Game basics
Game Basics
Thesensorized
The sensorizedglove
gloveyou
youhave
havecrcreated
eatedand
andconnected
connectedtotothetheexcel
excelworksheet
worksheetcan
canbe
befound
foundon onthe
thelef
left tside
sideofofthe
the
The sensorized glove you have created and connected to the Excel worksheet can be found on the left side of the worksheet
worksheet while Excel’s hand gestures are represented on the right. An RPS match will consist o f 5 rounds.
worksheet while Excel’s hand gestures are represented on the right. An RPS match will consist o f 5 rounds. In each In each
while Excel’s hand gestures are represented on the right. An RPS match will consist of 5 rounds. In each round, you will see
youwill
roundyou
round willsee
seethe
themessage
messagesequence
sequence“Ready”
“Ready”, ,“Set”,
“Set”,“GO!”.
“GO!”.When
When“GO!”
“GO!”appears,
appears,throw
throwyour
yourRPS
RPSgesture.
gesture.
the message sequence “Ready”, “Set”, “GO!”. When “GO!” appears, throw your RPS gesture.

RPSgame
RPS gamehist
history
ory
RPS game history
Therounds
The roundswill
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beshown
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worksheet.

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