Aero Hand Open
A tendon-driven, 3D-printed five-finger hand for dexterous manipulation research.
Project documentation
Before you build
Five answers, each linked to its source
What does it cost?
$314complete kit
The complete kit is listed at $314 USD. README
Can I sell what I build?
NoNon-commercial hardware
Hardware CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · Software Apache-2.0. Licensing source
What’s open?
6 of 6CAD: AvailableBOM: AvailablePCB: AvailableCode: AvailableSim: AvailableGuide: Available
All six available. All six files
What does it run on?
Is it maintained?
Active
Latest activity Sep 15, 2026 · 41 commits in the last 52 weeks · 7 contributors Activity
01 / Under the shell
The specifications.
Hardware, build and software on one sheet. Every fact links to where we found it.
Aero Hand Open is a tendon-driven robotic hand for dexterous manipulation research. Its five-finger, 3D-printed structure uses off-the-shelf electronic components. The project provides CAD files, a bill of materials, PCB design files, an assembly guide, firmware, a Python SDK, and ROS2 support.
Hardware
- Actuators
- Not documented Documentation
- Build
- 3D-printed · PLA · FDM Documentation
- Degrees of freedom
- 7 DoFs README
- Fingers
- 5 fingers README
- Joints
- 16 joints in total README
- Weight
- 389 g README
Building it
02 / The files behind the robot
What’s open.
Six parts of the build, each checked separately. Gaps stay visible.
| Part | Status | What’s there | License | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAD | Available | STEP files and one-click print files; a public Onshape document is also linked. | Not documented | CAD/ |
| Bill of materials | Available | Bill of materials file for components required to build the hand. | Not documented | BOM.csv |
| Electronics | Available | Gerber files, KiCad project files, BOM, and CPL are available. | Not documented | PCB/ |
| Code | Available | The project describes its firmware as open-source. | Not documented | firmware/ |
| Simulation model | Available | Simulation models are provided; MuJoCo is listed as supported. | Not documented | README |
| Assembly guide | Available | Step-by-step assembly instructions are provided. | Not documented | docs.tetheria.ai |
03 / Know before you build
Can you sell it?
NoNon-commercial hardware
The design files are CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, which restricts them to non-commercial use. Selling robots or parts made from the design needs the maker’s permission. Changes you distribute must be shared under the same license. The code is Apache-2.0.
- Hardware
- CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
- Software
- Apache-2.0
04 / The upstream project
Is it maintained?
ActiveLatest activity Sep 15, 2026, 45 days before the snapshot
- Stars
- 1,054
- Forks
- 163
- Contributors
- 7
- Latest release
- None recorded
Snapshot captured Oct 30, 2026. Recorded figures, not live metrics. Active: activity within 90 days of the snapshot. Quiet: within a year. Dormant: longer.
05 / Parts & kits
A head start.
Maker-listed sellers only. No affiliate links or paid placement.
Kit availability is not documented in our reviewed sources.
06 / Side by side
Compare with other hands & grippers.
The three hands & grippers with the closest documented maker’s cost. Same sources, same rules.
| Robot | Cost | Open files | Can I sell it? | Runs on | Maintained | Stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aero Hand OpenThis robotChestnut Robotics | $314complete kit | 6 of 6 | NoHW CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 · SW Apache-2.0 | ROS 2MuJoCoPython | ActiveSep 15, 2026 | 1,054 |
| AmazingHandPollen Robotics | Under €200hand, before controller | 5 of 6 | Yes, with creditHW CC BY 4.0 · SW Apache-2.0 | PythonArduinoMuJoCo | QuietApr 3, 2026 | 2,462 |
| YAM-UMIYosub Shin | About $79per gripper | 3 of 6 | YesHW MIT · SW MIT | Not documented | Not documented | — |
| Pinc'Openpollen-robotics | About €25standalone PincOpen gripper BOM | 3 of 6 | Yes, with creditHW CC BY-SA 4.0 · SW CC-BY-SA-4.0 | LeRobotPython | Not documented | — |
| This robotAero Hand Open | AmazingHand | YAM-UMI |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | ||
| $314 | Under €200 | About $79 |
| Can I sell it? | ||
| No | Yes, with credit | Yes |
| Open files | ||
| 6 of 6 | 5 of 6 | 3 of 6 |
| Runs on | ||
| ROS 2, MuJoCo, Python, ESP32 | Python, Arduino, MuJoCo | Not documented |
| Maintained | ||
| ActiveSep 15, 2026 | QuietApr 3, 2026 | Not documented |
Upkeep is measured against each robot’s own snapshot. Costs keep the maker’s scope, so check what each figure covers.
See them in the table07 / Follow the evidence
Open books.
Repository files are pinned to commit 7bb2f23. Websites and papers are listed with their review dates.
- 01README.md at 7bb2f23Reviewed Oct 30, 2026
- 02LICENSE.md at 7bb2f23Reviewed Oct 30, 2026
- 03firmware/LICENSE at 7bb2f23Reviewed Oct 30, 2026
- 04hardware/LICENSE at 7bb2f23Reviewed Oct 30, 2026
- 05hardware/Assembly/BOM.csv at 7bb2f23Reviewed Oct 30, 2026