🦾 Bionic EMG Hand

Control a 3D-printed robotic hand with your muscle signals.

📋 Overview

Electromyography (EMG) sensors detect the tiny electrical impulses generated by muscle contractions. By placing an EMG sensor on your forearm, you can trigger a robotic hand to mimic your flexes.

What you'll learn: Bio-signal amplification and filtering, threshold detection, and multi-servo string tendon actuation.

Estimated time: 12+ hours. Difficulty: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Expert.

🧩 Components Needed

Component	Specification	Qty	Notes
Arduino Nano	5V	1
MyoWare Muscle Sensor	EMG	1	With biomedical pads
Micro Servos	SG90	5	One for each finger
InMoov Hand / 3D Print	Tendon driven	1	Open-source design
Braided Fishing Line	Tendon material	1	Non-stretching

📖 Step-by-Step Tutorial

Print & Assemble

Print the finger segments and palm. Route fishing line from the fingertips, through the knuckles, to the servo horns.

Electrode Placement

Place the Mid and End electrodes on the belly of your forearm muscle, and the Reference electrode on a bony area (like your elbow).

Signal Smoothing

The raw EMG signal is very noisy. The MyoWare board rectifies and integrates it, but you should still use a moving average filter in software.

Actuation

When the smoothed analog reading crosses a certain threshold (muscle flexed), command all 5 servos to curl the fingers inwards.

💡

Medical electrodes dry out after a few hours of use, drastically reducing signal quality. Always use fresh, sticky electrodes for the best results.

💻 Code / Configuration

emg_hand.ino

INO

// EMG Bionic Hand (Snippet)
#include <Servo.h>

Servo thumb, index, middle, ring, pinky;
const int emgPin = A0;
const int threshold = 500; // Calibrate this to your muscle
bool isGrasping = false;

void setup() {
  thumb.attach(2); index.attach(3);
  middle.attach(4); ring.attach(5); pinky.attach(6);
  openHand();
}

void loop() {
  int emgVal = getSmoothedEMG(emgPin);
  
  if (emgVal > threshold && !isGrasping) {
    closeHand();
    isGrasping = true;
  } 
  else if (emgVal < (threshold - 100) && isGrasping) {
    // Minus 100 provides hysteresis so it doesn't flutter
    openHand();
    isGrasping = false;

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