Computer Vision Controlled Humanoid Robotic Arm

Abstract

This paper presents the design and implementation of a low-cost, vision-based gesture-controlled humanoid robotic arm that mimics human hand and wrist movements in real time. The system uses a USB webcam and MediaPipe for hand landmark detection, OpenCV for image processing, and a Raspberry Pi 4 to compute landmark vectors and control servo motors via a PCA9685 driver. Calibration modes were introduced for each joint to ensure accurate servo mapping. The solution supports full gesture-based manipulation of a five-fingered robotic hand, including wrist orientation, with minimal latency and no physical contact. The system provides a more intuitive and natural method for robotic arm control compared to traditional input devices and has potential applications in prosthetics, automation, and human-robot interaction.