Skip to content
← All products
Open hardwareSO-101 leader and follower

Thenar Arms

A robot arm pair you can print: a passive leader and an MG996R follower.

View on GitHubDrive it in the browser
Both CAD assemblies: the MG996R follower R3 and the AS5600 leader L1
Both CAD assemblies: the MG996R follower R3 and the AS5600 leader L1

About

Derived from the open SO-101. The follower runs on six MG996R servos behind a PCA9685; the leader has no motors at all, six AS5600 magnetic encoders reading where your hand puts each joint. Plug the leader into a computer and it drives the arm in any Thenar task, joint for joint.

  • 6 MG996R servos, ESP32 + PCA9685
  • 6 AS5600 encoders, ESP32 + TCA9548A
  • Print files for a Bambu P1S
  • Drives Thenar over USB

GitHub

nickthelegend/thenar-arms

Thenar Arms, a prototype SO-101-derived robot arm pair (MG996R servo follower, passive AS5600 encoder leader): printable STLs, SolidWorks CAD, ESP32 firmware and a browser 3D viewer

Python★ 0Updated 29 Sept 2026Open the repository →

From the repository

Follower R3 at home, in SolidWorks
Follower R3 at home, in SolidWorks
Leader L1 at home, in SolidWorks
Leader L1 at home, in SolidWorks
The leader's handle and trigger
The leader's handle and trigger
One encoder cartridge, exploded
One encoder cartridge, exploded
Print layouts for a Bambu P1S
Print layouts for a Bambu P1S
Wiring on one ESP32
Wiring on one ESP32
NextHotaru→