In this Thesis a fast, low-cost, anthropomorphic robotic hand with tactile feedback is designed. The hand consists of an index finger and a thumb, both of which have four degrees of freedom. All eight degrees of freedom are fully actuated using eight servomotors whose forces are transferred using tendons. The design introduces tendon routing to minimize the change in tendon tension as the joints rotate. To accomplish this at the 2 degree of freedom joints of thumb and index finger, a novel design for the ball and socket joint is created. The hand can be controlled using a tactile glove called the SenseGlove which also enables the user to receive force feedback. Testing reveals that the robot can open and close its fingers within 275 ms, and is able to grab a variety of objects.

This thesis covers the research, design process and testing of a new current sensor for the Nuon Solar Team. Hall effect and magnetoresistive based current sensors are investigated and compared to a shunt resistor
based current sensor. It will become clear that for the needs of the Nuon Solar Team, a shunt resistor based current sensor is the best choice. Additionally, a capacitive tire wear sensor is covered. The wear is defined as thickness of the rubber, which will be sensed by the change in relative permittivity between capacitor plates. This results in a change in capacitance, which is measured using a charge amplifier circuit. The charge amplifier yielded a measurable voltage difference between a new and worn tire for static conditions. For dynamic conditions the motor PWM signal caused excessive amounts of noise,
hence filtering is required at the discussed frequencies. Further recommendations are given for successful implementation of the capacitive tire wear sensor.