Rotating Hinge Finger
After testing the PLA finger, the hinge was effective. However, ware was noticeable quite quickly.
Even in Nylon, the hinge did not stand up to much ware.
And so, a rotating hinge design was made next.
This design uses a rotating hinge joint to resist ware and tare. The finger is prevented from bending back beyond the straight position.
Elastic or some other spring material will be used to return the finger to the straight angle and a motor actuator will provide the closing force.
The physical design of each segment prevents the finger from bending further than 90 degrees, similar to the actuation angles of the human finger.
Pressure sensors will be mounted along the side of the finger to detect pressing forces.
Additionally, either a flex sensor, or angle sensors will be added to track the angle of each joint.