Our team implemented the Yale OpenHand T42: an underactuated gripper built around tendon-driven fingers.
01 · The mechanism
A grasp begins with geometry.
The existing OpenHand platform gave us a mechanical foundation to assemble, analyze and understand.
02 · Motion, made visible
Rotation. Tension. Movement.
Actuators pull the tendons. The fingers flex. This animated study makes that relationship easier to see.
03 · Look inside
Every part has a purpose.
The frame brings the fingers and actuators together. The layers separate here to reveal the assembly.
04 · Beyond the render
Build it. Test it. Learn from it.
Our coursework connected MATLAB analysis with assembly, motor communication and calibration.
MODEL T42 ROBOTIC GRIPPERBuilt from Yale OpenHand CAD · animated in Blender Read the case study
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Four-person team · ROBO 204 · January–May 2026
Model T42 Robotic Gripper
Understanding a grasp, from the mechanism to the motor.
MATLABArduinoDynamixelTendon drive
At a glance
Role
Led the build, ran the MATLAB analysis and calibrated the Dynamixel motors
Team
Four people, with Mohammed Muqeet, Obaid Alaleeli and Ibrahim Alhammadi
Course
ROBO 204 Physical Embodiment of Robotic Systems
Built with
Yale OpenHand Model T42 design, MATLAB, Arduino, Dynamixel motors
Result
Assembled, calibrated and tested opening, closing and basic grasping
01 / Purpose
What we set out to do.
Implement and understand the Yale OpenHand Model T42 gripper, an existing tendon-driven platform. The platform design belongs to the Yale OpenHand project.
02 / Approach
How it came together.
The team used MATLAB analysis, assembled printed components and tendon-driven fingers, and worked with Arduino and Dynamixel control. Testing covered motor communication, calibration, speed synchronization, opening and closing, and basic grasping.
03 / Contribution
What I built.
I led the build in a four-person team with Mohammed Muqeet, Obaid Alaleeli and Ibrahim Alhammadi. I ran the MATLAB analysis, assembled the fingers and routed the tendons, and calibrated the Dynamixel motors, then tested opening, closing and grasping.
04 / Demonstration
See it working.
The film below is built from Yale’s original OpenHand fabrication CAD and animated in Blender to show how the tendon drive closes the fingers.
Model T42. A closer look at the joints, tendon drive and grasping motion.Team implementation by Husain Altelly, Mohammed Muqeet, Obaid Alaleeli and Ibrahim Alhammadi. Adapted from the Yale OpenHand design. Animated in Blender, with original music composed for the film.Watch the film in 4K
05 / Results
What we achieved.
We assembled and calibrated the T42, synchronized the motor speeds and tested opening, closing and basic grasping. We built on Yale’s open design rather than designing a new gripper.
06 / Limitations
Limits and next steps.
Finger movement depended heavily on tendon routing and calibration. We didn’t measure grip force or payload, which would be the next step.
07 / Lessons learned
What I’m taking forward.
Working from an established mechanism makes calibration, mechanical assembly, and communication between the controller and actuators central engineering tasks.
The Blender scenes and animations are illustrations made for this portfolio, not recorded results. The YouTube videos show the real robots and lab demos, and the AURORA film includes footage from the interactive learning demo.
R. R. Ma, L. U. Odhner, A. M. Dollar, “A Modular, Open-Source 3D Printed Underactuated Hand,” ICRA 2013.
The Yale OpenHand Project is an initiative to advance the design and use of robotic hands designed and built through rapid-prototyping techniques in order to encourage more variation and innovation in mechanical hardware. Please visit the Yale OpenHand site for more details.
