The Helping Hand is a usable extended arm that is able to pick up objects. Many people struggle with health issues such as Parkinson’s. This robot can help assist them to live more autonomously.
The robot features a sleeve to insert the user’s hand, two buttons to control the hand, and the hand itself which is two grippers that open and close using a motor.
Program
Evaluation
What are we proud of?
Tahlia: I am proud of the usability of the program I wrote. Pressing the button to close and un-pressing to open worked well and felt natural when using it.
Will: I am proud of how effective it is. The wheels allow the arms to grip objects tightly and not fall out when the arm is shaking.
What problems did we have?
Tahlia: Half of the code ended up not being used because we decided having the arm move at 80% speed wasn’t usable.
Will: Making the arm easy to hold was challenging. Lego is quite heavy and clunky so it isn’t very comfortable to wear.
What would we do differently next time?
Tahlia: With more time I would come up with another use for the second button. Currently it is on the robot but doesn’t do anything. We could add new features that could be useful.
Will: I would try and make the arm easier to use and hold. More user-friendly.
