The main objective of this paper is to propose a hand design that is inexpensive, robust against collisions and has enhanced grasping performance. Instead of simply copying human hand design this work will focus on mimicking its capabilities and functional properties. At this stage of the research only the index finger and the thumb have been realized. These two are the most important parts of the human hand from the design and usage point of view. The new approach includes the use of elastic joints instead of conventional hinge joints, thus providing passive grasp. This way the hand becomes more energy efficient. Since there is a lot of elasticity as an effect of material choice and design, it was decided to implement optoelectronic angular sensor for angular measurement.