squeeze one corner of the base, it curls in that direction. The “rungs” of the
ladder keep the fin gripper more or less in the same pointy triangle shape.
On a fish, this kind of tail can push against the pressure of the water with
more force. On a robot hand, two or more fin gripper fingers can be put
together to make a claw that curls around objects without crushing them.
This paper version of a fin gripper finger is based on a paper model Festo
offers for students, but it’s been simplified to use only one strip of paper.
You can create a fin gripper claw by connecting two or more fin grippers to
a “wrist.” When you pull the fingers in, they press up against whatever you
want them to grab and hold it tight.
WHAT TO EXPECT
• Time Needed: 1 hour
• Cost: Less than $1
• Difficulty: Easy
• Safety Issues: Be careful when poking holes through the cardstock
SKILLS USED
Folding, measuring, cutting along lines, poking holes safely
SUPPLIES
• 2 fin gripper finger templates, or two strips of cardstock or other
heavy paper or thin cardboard, about 11 inches by 1 1/2 inches
• Templates for the tube, tube bottom, and springy base, or three
pieces of cardstock in these sizes:
• 1 skinny strip, 1 1/2 inch by 11 inches wide
• 1 fat strip, 4 inch by 11 inches wide
• 1 circle 3 1/2 inches across, with 1-inch tabs on opposite sides.
• Disposable drinking straw
• Scissors
• Sharp pencil
• Tape
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TEMPLATES
• Green: Fin Gripper Fingers
• Pink: Springy Base
• Yellow: Tube Sides
• Blue: Tube Bottom
(Downloadable templates: makezine.com/go/simple-robot-templates)
Each template should be enlarged to fit on a letter-sized piece of cardstock.
Grab this template at makezine.com/go/simple-robot-templates/
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NOTES
• Dotted lines = fold
• Solid lines = cut
• You can make your gripper any size, as long as the proportions are
similar — in other words, keep the shape about the same.
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Fold the cardboard strip in half. With bottom edges together, fold up
about 1 1/4 inches from the bottom to make tabs to form the base of the
triangle. Then flatten the folded piece again
(Figure
A
)
.
2. If you’re not using the template, draw marks about 1, 2, and 3 inches
above the fold line. Flip over and copy on the other side. To make the
“rungs” of the “ladder,” draw a tab about 1/4 inch wide from the bottom
mark to just below the middle mark. Repeat with the middle and top
marks.
3. For the bottom rung only, cut out the tab through both layers of the
folded cardboard strip
(Figure
B
)
.
4. To form the base of the triangle, spread the sides apart
(Figure
C
)
. Fold
both base tabs in toward the middle. Overlap so that the base is about 2
inches wide. Tape the base tabs together
(Figure
D
)
.
5. Fold the bottom rung tabs in. They should overlap, but don’t tape them
yet
(Figure
E
)
.
6. Cut the middle and top rungs and fold them in
(Figure
F
)
.
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A
C
E
B
D
F
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G
I
K
H
J
L
14
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