MIRI — Robotic Hand (ETH Innovation Project)

Role: Mechanical design, prototyping & project management · Team: interdisciplinary · Scope: semester project

Goal & Context

Develop a robotic hand that reproduces natural finger motion including a functional thumb swipe. Focus on fast iteration and a working prototype.

Process: Agile, sprint-based prototyping with weekly reviews and rapid iterations, using Trello.

Approach

Agile sprints: 1–2 week cycles with a clear sprint goal (e.g., PoC finger, actuation, full-hand integration).

  1. Sketches & mechanism options → proof-of-concept finger (laser-cut/FDM)
  2. Integrated actuation, tested kinematics (gear/cable routing)
  3. Full-hand CAD; silicone fingertips for grip
  4. Electronics/control, functional tests of the prototype
Project poster MIRI robotic hand
Project poster of the ETH innovation project “MIRI” (click to open full size)

Outcome & Impact