Myoelectric Wolverine Claws

In the various Wolverine movies, comic books, and other forms of media, this superhero has the ability to pop claws out of his hands at-will. While a work of fiction, the idea that humans can control augmentations like our natural body parts isn’t actually out of the realm of possibilities. In the case of this build by MERT Arduino & Tech, a MyoWare muscle sensor picks up on muscle movements in the user’s forearm, popping out a set of Wolverine-like claws in response.

Controls-wise the device is fairly simple, using an Arduino Nano to pick up signals from the MyoWare sensor. The Nano is mounted on a custom carrier board for easy interface with the sensor and servo. The electronics drive a standard-sized hobby servo in response to this stimulus, which pushes or pulls the claws out via a linkage system. It's is quite entertaining, and perhaps even a bit terrifying in the right circumstances.

The wearable is 3D-printed based on a design found here, and nicely finished with a bit of sanding and red paint. Code is linked in the video description. Although this particular device is just for fun, the same sort of myoelectric concept can be used to control actual human prostheses, so you never know what it will inspire!