The Ultimate "Servo Claw Game"

Arduino IDE

16 cubical blocks or 2 bowls with some handful of candies (depending on the kind of game you want to play)

DIY Neuroscience Kit Pro

Screwdriver set

<html><body><p>In this tutorial, we will create a servo claw game that can be a fun way to teach students about EMG and how the muscle signals can be used in controlling a prosthetic hand as the mechanism is almost the same in both cases. When we flex our muscles, it produces muscle signals (EMG) which can be used as a trigger to move a servo motor that is attached to a claw, so whenever you flex your arm, the servo claw opens or closes. </p><p>But before moving forward, let's briefly understand electromyography. </p><h3><strong>What is Electromyography (EMG)?</strong></h3><p>Electromyography is a technique that measures muscle response or electrical activity in response to a nerve’s stimulation of the muscle. We can use this electrical activity to detect neuromuscular abnormalities or create solutions for some crazy real-world problems like making artificial limbs for amputees. </p><h3><strong>About Muscle BioAmp Shield:</strong></h3><p>Muscle BioAmp Shield is an all-in-one Arduino Uno Shield for Electromyography (EMG). It is perfect for beginners as it can be stacked on top of Arduino Uno to record, visualize, and listen to the muscle signals to make amazing Human-Computer Interface (HCI) projects. It also comes with various plug-and-play options so you can connect hundreds of devices like OLED screens, character displays, accelerometers, and servo claw to name just a few using the I2C interface. </p><p>This is one of the products in the entire BioAmp series of sensors from Upside Down Labs which is designed in a way to teach you the basics of the instrumentation amplifier, active bandpass filtering, soldering, programming, neuroscience, Human-Computer Interface (HCI), Brain-Computer Interface (BCI), etc. </p><p><strong>Note:</strong> The 3D-printed servo claw design was originally created by Nasir and licensed under the <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/">Creative Commons – Attribution-Share Alike</a></p><p><a href="https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4300387">Documentation on Servo Claw</a> by Nasir</p><h3>Step 1: Stacking on Arduino UNO</h3><p>Stack the Muscle BioAmp Shield on top of Arduino Uno properly. </p><p> </p><figure><img src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/a8258deb-0250-4374-8412-cc9b868610e4.png"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p> </p><h3>Step 2: Connecting electrode cable</h3><p>Connect the BioAmp Cable to the Muscle BioAmp Shield as shown. </p><p> </p><figure><img src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/dae6da97-24d5-4333-a169-481db946f8c1.png"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p> </p><h3>Step 3: Skin preparation</h3><p>Apply Nuprep Skin Preparation Gel on the skin surface, where electrodes will be placed to remove dead skin cells and clean the skin from dirt. After rubbing the skin surface thoroughly, clean it with a wet wipe. Click <a href="https://docs.upsidedownlabs.tech/guides/usage-guides/skin-preparation/index.html">here </a>to get the complete guide on slin preparation. </p><h3>Step 4: Electrode placements</h3><p>We have 2 options to measure the EMG signals, either using the gel electrodes or using a dry electrode-based EMG band. You can try both of them one by one. </p><p><strong>Measuring EMG using Gel electrodes: </strong></p><ol><li>Connect the BioAmp Cable to gel electrodes, </li><li>Peel the plastic backing from the electrodes </li><li>Place the IN+ and IN- cables on the arm near the ulnar nerve &amp; REF (reference) at the back of your hand. </li></ol><p> </p><figure><img src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/27ae6691-1fcb-43fb-8a6f-d4bfc1a6fc73.png"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p> </p><p><strong>Measuring EMG using Muscle BioAmp Band, a dry electrode-based EMG band: </strong></p><ol><li>Connect the BioAmp Cable to the Muscle BioAmp Band in a way such that IN+ and IN- are placed on the arm near the ulnar nerve &amp; REF (reference) on the far side of the band. </li><li>Now put a small drop of electrode gel between the skin and the metallic part of BioAmp Cable to get the best results. </li></ol><p> </p><figure><img src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/1442f55c-4ae0-45f4-9087-b7132a9cfecd.png"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p> </p><h3>Step 5: Download Arduino IDE</h3><p>Download the Arduino IDE from the link given below: </p><p><a href="https://www.arduino.cc/en/software">https://www.arduino.cc/en/software </a></p><p>(Make sure to use Arduino IDE version 1.8.19) </p><p>After downloading, connect the Arduino to your laptop using the USB Cable </p><strong>Note:</strong><code class="code">Make sure your laptop is not connected to a charger and sit 5m away from any AC appliances for best signal acquisition.</code><h3>Step 6: Connect servo claw</h3><p>Connect the servo claw to the Muscle BioAmp Shield as shown. </p><p> </p><figure><img src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/083eb691-73c5-407e-995b-6f09c3fbfdb5.png"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p> </p><h3>Step 7: Coding time!</h3><p>Copy and paste the Arduino Sketch provided to you below in Arduino IDE and flash it on the Arduino board. </p><h3>Step 8: Testing of servo claw</h3><p>The servo claw should work when you flex your arm. If it's working properly, then you can move ahead and move towards assembling it with Arduino Uno. </p><h3>Step 9: Attach servo claw with Arduino UNO</h3><p>Remove the Muscle BioAmp Shield from Arduino Uno. </p><p> </p><figure><img src="https://projects.arduinocontent.cc/7b22c7d4-ddfa-4250-b978-b927ade9990e.png"/><figcaption></figcaption></figure><p> </p><p>Now attach the servo claw to Arduino Uno using a nut bolt as shown in the image above. </p><p>To make it look tidy, you can tie the wires around the holes using a thread or zip ties and then stack the Muscle BioAmp Shield on top of Arduino Uno again as we have done in the initial step. </p><h3>Step 10: Connect with the power bank</h3><p>To make this game portable, it's better to connect it with a power bank. </p><h3>Step 11: Play the game</h3><p> </p><figure><iframe src="https://youtu.be/a8fVYNsk-NA"></iframe></figure><p> </p><p>Now you can create a game where you take 2 bowls, 1 empty, and 1 full of candies. So your friends have to pick the candies from the filled bowl by clinching it in between the servo claw and then release it in the empty bowl. The goal can be to pick most candies in a limited time (maybe 60 to 90 seconds). </p><p>Alternatively, you can have cubical boxes, so your friends have to stack them on top of each other and make 4 towers of 4 blocks each in 120 seconds. Whoever builds it first, wins the game. </p><p>You can also think of some more creative ways to make similar games and have fun. We have already conducted various events in colleges and believe it or not students are in awe of how unique the game is and everyone wants to give it a try. </p><p>Feel free to ask any questions in the comment box below. You can also mail us at support@upsidedownlabs.tech for any kind of support while making this project. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p></body></html>

The Ultimate "Servo Claw Game"

Control a 3d-printed servo claw using your muscle signals (EMG)