The Robotic Hand Activity can be found in the Building Machines that Emulate Humans lesson plan. This lesson plan explores anatomy and the biomechanics of the human hand. Students build a sensorized glove and a straw robotic hand to aid in the learning process. When building the project, students may run into some problems. Here are some troubleshooting tips to help them get unstuck:
Problem - All flex sensors show -1 on Data In workbook tab.
Solution - Glove and hand connectors are reversed.
Problem - My sensorized finger doesn’t move on the robotic hand.
Solution - The sensor could be faulty in the glove. If so, remove and replace or acquire one that's working to check that the leads are working.
The servo motor is fried—replace it.
The servo connector is backwards—switch all servo connections into your breadboard.
Clear plastic servo arm holding the thread may have fallen off or is loose.
Make sure that your microcontroller is flashed using the correct code.
Make sure that you're using the correct Excel Workbook—each Hacking STEM project comes with its own customized workbook.
Problem - Excel Round 4 and 5 icons don’t change.
Solution - Set Data channels to 22 or higher in the Workbook Settings tab.