These are my initial sketches for my light sculpture.

It started pretty simple, It was originally a remake of the Mantis Arms from Cyberpunk 2077.

I started by making a half sketch of an arm plate-shaped object which looks like an O cut in half.

By starting with the half O, I was able to later mirror it into an O shape which I was able to put my arm into.

With this basic O shape, I was able to add a flat plane on top of it. I would measure my Arduino Uno R3 so I could correctly screw it down onto the arm plate to hold it in place.

I then measured my servo motors and put them into the model and extruded where they would go with all the screw holes to keep them in place. This step was important since if the servo disconnected off the arm plating it could fly off and break.

I was then able to start making the hinge arms which would extend and retract into position, I started with the first one making it so it has a hole where the servos screws could be tightened, making sure it wouldn't disconnect when in use.

I then repeated that step but for the second hinge arm. This hinge arm has to be ticker as it will hold the weight of the blade.

I was able to add the servo model to make sure all my dimensions were correct and it seemed to be all good.

The last step was to connect the joints in an assembly. After connecting all the connectors I could test the rotation straight from the software

I started by 3D printing the parts and screwing everything together and testing servo limits. Everything was working fine and I started screwing on the rest of the components. My original idea for the project included a pressure sensor on the palm, however, due to last-minute changes, the pressure sensor pins were way too soft and I was afraid it wouldn't survive a trip to the exploratorium so I switched it out for a button which works better. I was able to wire them all up correctly and it worked fine.

Here is the finished project fully wired and set up correctly!

In this entire project, I learned fundamental skills in engineering and I've learned that asking questions is a sign of weakness. Help from peers is the best thing someone could have, I enjoyed this project and it just helps solidify my love for engineering. Thank you, And don't forget, google is also your best friend.

Last updated 1/19/2025