DIY Cheap and Accurate Alternative for Flex Sensor Glove

Hello Everyone,

This is my first instructable and in this instructable i will teach you to make a cheap and accurate flex sensor glove. I used a lots of alternatives to the flex sensor , but none of them worked for me. So, I googled and found a new alternative to the flex sensors. Here we are going to use variable potentiometers in place of other alternatives.

Let's make this project !

Step 1: How It Works ?

In this gloves when will bend our finger it will rotate the potentiometer using a wire tied to the potentiometer and when our finger come to the rest position the the potentiometer will again come to the starting position due to a rubber band .It is simple physics.this will show value more than 0 according to the intensity of the bending and it will show value 0 when we hasn't bend the finger or the finger is in rest position.

Step 2: Gather the Parts

For this project you gonna need to spend only about 2-3 $. The parts you gonna need are :-

1. Potentiometers (Buy them according to your need)

2. Knobs for Potentiometers

3. Fishing wire ( Nylon wire)

4. Sunboard or any other hard foam board

5. Rubber Bands

6. Elastic band

7. Wires

8. Glue gun and Soldering Kit.

Step 3: Make a Box for the Potentiometers

First of all measure the size of you palm and then make a box of that size with the hard foam board. When you are done, make markings for the potentiometers and and drill holes for potentiometers and fix them. Add knobs to the potentiometers.

Note : Make sure that the potentiometer are fixed straight to our fingers.

Step 4: Adding Rubber Band and Wire to the Knob

Now we will make a hole in the knob, then we will pass the rubber through the hole and tie the end inside the knob. Do the same with all the knobs.

When you are done cut a piece of rectangle shaped foam board higher than the lateral side of the box. Paste the rectangular piece in the front side of the box.

Make holes in the rectangular piece straight to the knobs and tie the other end of the rubber band to the piece. Glue the joints to make it stronger.

As the rubber band was attached to the knob do the same to attach the wire.Now roll the the wire around the knob in the direction of the rotation of the potentiometer. If the potentiometer moves clockwise, then roll the wire clockwise and if the potentiometer rotates counter-clockwise, then roll the wire counter clockwise.

Please Roll the wire in the right direction because it is a very important step.

Step 5: Making Rings With the Foam Board and Elastic Band

Cut two squares of small size from the foam board. Then take a piece of elastic band of size of your finger. Stitch both the ends of the elastic band piece. This will make a ring of your size. Paste one piece of square foam board on the band and paste the another standing on the first one. This will look like "L" from side.

Do the same for making other finger rings.

Step 6: Attaching the Wire to the Ring

Now make a hole in the center of the standing foam piece. Pass the wire through the hole and glue the end at the center. The wire shouldn't be attached loosely to the rings. Attach wires to all the rings and this will end all the mechanical part.

Step 7: Soldering Wires to Potentiometer

Solder all the potentiometer in series connection. The potentiometer has three pins : 1st one is Positive, 2nd one is signal pin and 3rd one is the negative. Connect the positive pins and negative pins of all potentiometers in series. The signal pin of each one will be connected to Arduino analog pins separately.

Step 8: Testing the Flex Sensor Glove

int Potentiometer1pin = 1;<br>int Potentiometer2pin = 2;
int Potentiometer3pin = 3;
int Potentiometer4pin = 4;

int Potentiometer1;
int Potentiometer2;
int Potentiometer3;
int Potentiometer4;

void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
  
  Potentiometer1 = analogRead(Potentiometer1pin);
  Potentiometer1 = map(Potentiometer1,0,1023,0,10);
  Potentiometer2 = analogRead(Potentiometer2pin);
  Potentiometer2 = map(Potentiometer2,0,1023,10,0);
  Potentiometer3 = analogRead(Potentiometer3pin);
  Potentiometer3 = map(Potentiometer3,0,1023,10,0);
  Potentiometer4 = analogRead(Potentiometer4pin);
  Potentiometer4 = map(Potentiometer4,0,1023,0,10);

Serial.print("Potentiometer1:");
Serial.println(Potentiometer1);
Serial.print("Potentiometer2:");
Serial.println(Potentiometer2);
Serial.print("Potentiometer3:");
Serial.println(Potentiometer3);
Serial.print("Potentiometer4:");
Serial.println(Potentiometer4);
delay(500);
}

Upload this code to your arduino and enjoy the results !! Use this glove in any ways whether it is for R/C or Robotics. Using Your creativity and imagination you can use it anywhere.

Happy Making !!!