The biotronic amplifier is a robotic reach extending device that can be used to handle hazardous materials or pick up objects that are out of reach. The operator uses a trigger to open and close the gripper. The positions of the trigger and the motor are determined using potentiometers and analog to digital converters. The A-to-D converters are located on the PIC 16C71. The gripper motor is controlled with an H-bridge made up of two TIP41C NPN and two TIP42C PNP power transistors. The gripper has a 5-inch wide grasp. I designed and built the biotronic amplifier in 2001. It sees a lot of use at the local makerspace mostly for entertainment.
It extends a humans reach and amplifies their gripping strength
- Actuators / output devices: Geared 12VDC motor
- Control method: Closed loop control using potentiometers, microcontroller and an H-bridge circuit
- CPU: PIC16C71
- Power source: 9VDC battery for microcontroller and 12VDC battery pack for H-bridge and motor
- Programming language: Picbasic Pro
- Sensors / input devices: Potentiometer position sensors, Analog to digital converters
- Target environment: indoor, outdoor
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://community.robotshop.com/robots/show/biotronic-amplifier
