Our robotic gripper was inspired by Javier Corona and his idea for a device that could help him , who is unable to pick up items around his office and house. This mechanism was built with the intention of aiding those with limited hand function and mobility.
Therefore our device needed to be: lightweight, maneuverable, and simple to operate.
This that fall off of his wheel chair. Being confined to a wheel chair, and with limited hand movement, if items fall off of his chair he is unable to bend over and pick them up. He requires a device that can be readily attached to his arm, will extend and retract, and grab items for him.
Our device is a robotic gripper which extends, retracts, and grips small items that one might find in a common household. The switches to engage these functions require minimal force and are easy for those who require the aforementioned physical accommodationscan be easily replaced with more user friendly switches if need be.