An abstraction of dextrous manipulation and a control scheme for the Utah/MIT dextrous hand is described. The abstraction of robotic manipulation is based on motion primitives. Each primitive represents a small, coordinated set of joint motions that performs a distinct functional task. Primitives are defined as sequences of joint position changes that, when executed, cause functionally significant motion of the fingers. By defining the primitives as changes in position, rather than as absolute position trajectories, the ability to execute a primitive from any pose of the hand is gained. Hand programming language (HPL), a language and execution environment supporting the primitive abstraction, has been developed. Programming in HPL allows the user to describe dextrous manipulation tasks at a high level, insulated from the complex multiprocessing hierarchy controlling the hand.>

Control of multifingered robotic hands is a natural example of hybrid control in which contact forces must be controlled without exceeding force thresholds while the fingers are moved to impart motion to an object. A modal state position control algorithm is described which is suited for hybrid manipulation tasks. Position tracking is robust, allowing force control to be executed in parallel according to task requirements. Hybrid control is achieved by the summed actions of the primary position controller and one or more secondary force controllers. The position control algorithm is outlined for both joint-space and Cartesian-space applications. Implementation and performance issues on the Utah/MIT dextrous hand are discussed.>

A method for using the human hand as a multidegree-of-freedom teaching device is described. The algorithm is based on a functional analysis of the human hand and results in an algebraic transformation of human hand positions to corresponding positions in a target domain. The target domain should be of lower dimensionality (fewer degrees of freedom) than the human hand but is not constrained in any other way. The target described here is a sixteen-degree-of-freedom robotic hand, with four fingers of four joints each. The target need not, however be a handlike device but, for each use, should have a kinematic structure with poses similar in functionality to natural poses of the human hand.>