Zeke Gamby
Selected work

Ball Grabber

A mechanical study of cable-actuated fingers, fabricated joints and gripping motion.

Discipline
Mechanism design
Methods
3D printing · Fabrication
Output
Physical prototype
An assembled gripping mechanism with timber and transparent components
The assembled prototype, with its structure and cable routes exposed.Select image to expand ↗

01 / Exploration

Finding a way
to grip.

Ball Grabber explores how a cable-actuated mechanism can create gripping motion. The project develops a hand-like structure through sketches, fabricated parts and physical assembly.

Rib geometry, joints and cable routing are visible in the prototype, making the mechanism itself part of the design investigation.

Pencil sketches of mechanical fingers and gripping configurations
Early mechanism and finger studies.
Fabricated timber ribs arranged on a drawing
Moving from drawn geometry to physical components.

02 / Making

From components
to movement.

The photographs document the path from individual ribs and joints to an assembled gripping structure. Transparent parts expose the relationships between the cables, contact points and moving elements.

A hand holding a small transparent joint prototype
An individual joint study.
Close-up of cables and the assembled gripping mechanism
Detail of the cable routing and assembled structure.

03 / Prototype

Testing the assembled form.

The assembled prototype was used to explore how the mechanism closes around an object. This stage brings the movement and the overall form into the same physical test.

Gripping prototype holding a small can
The assembled prototype gripping a rounded object.
Assembled mechanical gripper with timber ribs and transparent components
The open mechanism, with its components and cable routes visible.

Next project

Wearable / Interactive