NMLHandExo

This repository contains the firmware and Python tools for controlling the NML Hand Exoskeleton—a modular, open-source robotic hand exoskeleton platform for research and prototyping.

🚀 Overview

The NML Hand Exoskeleton includes: - 🦾 Microcontroller firmware (Arduino/C++): real-time motor control and communication. - 🐍 Python API: high-level interface for controlling the device. - 🛠️ Demo scripts: examples of using the device with real-time EMG streaming and GUI control.

Code was tested on Windows 11, Python 3.10.

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

bash git clone https://github.com/Neuro-Mechatronics-Interfaces/NML_Hand_Exo.git cd NML_Hand_Exo

2. Create a virtual environment (recommended)

Choose one of the following methods to create a virtual environment for this project: - Using Anaconda : bash conda create -n handexo conda activate handexo - or using Python's virtualenv: bash python3 -m venv .handexo source .handexo/bin/activate # On Linux/Mac call .handexo/Scripts/activate # On Windows

3. Install Python dependencies

bash pip install -r requirements.txt

For local development, you can also install the python API as a package bash pip install -e .

Exo Firmware

The exo device uses an openRB-150 microcontroller from ROBOTIS. The firmware is located in src/cpp/nml_hand_exo and can be uploaded via the Arduino IDE.

The firmware includes a class NMLHandExo, which handles:

• Dynamixel initialization and setup
• Motor control by ID, name, or alias
• Joint limits and angle-to-position conversion
• Calibration and LED feedback
• Serial command parsing

To upload the firmware:

1. Open nml_hand_exo.ino in the Arduino IDE.
2. Select the correct board and port under Tools.
3. Upload the sketch.

Usage

An example of using the Python API for scripting and control: ```python from nmlhandexo.hand_exo import HandExo

exo = HandExo('COM3', baudrate=57600) exo.enablemotor(1) exo.setmotorangle(1, 45) angle = exo.getmotorangle(1) print(f"Motor angle: {angle} degrees") exo.disablemotor(1) ```

You can control the hand exoskeleton over USB or Bluetooth using simple, structured serial commands. For example:

• set_angle:WRIST:30 — set wrist motor to 30 degrees.

• enable:1 — enable motor 1 torque.

• get_angle:1 — query relative angle.

Supported aliases are THUMB, INDEX, MIDDLE, RING, PINKY, WRIST

For a complete list of commands, see the Usage Guide.

Demo

MindRove EMG Streaming

A demo script is included to showcase real-time plotting of EMG signals from a connected MindRove EMG band. 1) Connect your MindRove EMG Band to the PC (using a Wifi dongle if you want to maintain internet connection on a separate wifi network) 2) Run the demo script ~~~ python demomindroverealtime.py ~~~

📖 How to Cite

If you use this project in your research, please cite it as:

Jonathan Shulgach & Kriti Kacker. (2025). NML Hand Exoskeleton [Computer software]. https://github.com/yourusername/NMLHandExo

BibTeX: ```bibtex @misc{shulgachkacker2025nmlhandexo, author = {Jonathan Shulgach and Kriti Kacker}, title = {NML Hand Exoskeleton}, year = {2025}, publisher = {GitHub}, journal = {GitHub repository}, howpublished = {\url{https://github.com/yourusername/NMLHand_Exo}} }

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.