Built
Thumbless
The Goal
Build a robot hand that could switch off the light while I'm in my bed. I was frankly just tired of having to get out of bed to switch off the room light once I was done reading — it really induced sleep. So I built something to do it for me.
Video / Photos
The Build
Process
Every design decision, debugging session, and rebuild — written down as it happened.
Read the Build Doc ↗Skillsets Formed
Top 3 Learnings
If your component isn't acting as expected, ask a TA about it. My flex sensor was actually working fine — I could have just increased intensity in the code but didn't know that was possible. Alex told me when I was ranting about my problems… by which point I'd already spent $50 on replacement flex sensors. Talk to people earlier.
When you have a problem, stick to it. Don't jump between projects or sub-problems — do one thing at a time and really zone in. I should have done this with the final wiring. A solid 2-week deadline would have also kept me honest.
Don't build components from scratch when you don't know how to. Make the build first. If you find the outcome fun, make it a separate project to rebuild it from scratch — with intention. Don't frontload the difficulty when you're still learning the basics.
Mental Note
Personal reminder
Making this arm shouldn't take more than 4 days. You should just get out of your head and have fun in the process.
Grateful For
Improvement Scope
Install it in my room next semester — moving out in 15 days!
Implement a cooler, more complex hand that can do more without servos — inspired by Vatsal Sikarwar's build ↗
Ditch the glove entirely. Use a camera instead for gesture recognition.