Articulated hands

[Karrion]

Does anyone make cable controled hands? I learned a fairly simple method using poly tubing. I thought I'd give it a try.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Grant Harding (I can't remember his handle here on MC) has done a really cool, really simple articulated hand. There is a post about it here somewhere if you want to do some searching and the video is online at http://www.youtube.com/?v=1Dz3bhDwwKQ

There's also diagrams for a decent cable controlled hand made using toggle bolts at http://www.clevelandfx.com/crazylou/tutorials/hand.htm (he's also got a eye design on that site people might want to check out if they're interested).

 

[Karrion]

The one in the vid is interesting. The other one seems like it'd be super heavy. That's a lot of steel in there.
I'm going to try a quicky hand based off of the info i have. I'll shoot some picture as I go. The basic system is polypropelyne(sp?) tube. This forms both the 'bones' and the joints. The tube is cut to almost the length of ther hand and finger. At each joint a half circle chunk is removed from the tube about 1/3 the way through on the side you want the finder to bend. Cleaner the better I understand. I'm figuring on using a dremel with the little drum sander bit. Fishing line it run up inside the tube an secured to the tip of the finger.

 

[Phantom]

There's actually some fishing line made from Kevlar that's available. It's super strong and thin as compared to equivalent monofilament. (65lb test is about the same as 4-6lb test monofilament) You have to cut it with and exacto or razor blade...scissors won't do it.

 

[Iokitek]

I made one of those hands once. I wanted to make a full gorilla suit. But it needed longer arms so I thought it would be fun to make some huge hands out of rubber tubing. It worked great but I never made the suit.