Hydraulic Robot Arm
Syringe-and-tube hydraulics give a cardboard arm multi-joint movement and a working gripper.
Start building ↓The build
Build the arm
Cut hinged segments and a claw.
Pair syringes
Link water-filled syringes for each joint and the claw.
Mount them
Fix base syringes to a control board.
Operate
Push plungers to raise, swing and grip.
Each joint is driven by Pascal's principle: pushing one water-filled syringe forces the other to extend, moving that part of the arm.
A closer look
Incompressible fluid transmits force through the tubes, so small hand pushes produce controlled, powerful joint motion.
Variables to test
- 1 Use thicker output syringes — more force or motion?
- 2 Add a fourth joint — how does control get harder?
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