Some discussion of static gripping and its stability

An overview is presented of research done in the area of dextrous manipulation. The main issue has been how to control mechanical hands so that they can perform manipulation task with the same dexterity and sensitivity as the human hands. To achieve sophisticated algorithms for grasping, compliance control, and manipulation, the nature of the contact wrenches, twists, and compliance of the fingers have to be well understood. Here emphasis is on the area of dextrous manipulation encompassed by static grasping. The two main approaches to the problems of grasping reviewed are those motivated by a study of human hands and those motivated by the physical and mechanical properties of grasps such as contact types, number of fingers required to achieve grasp, equilibrium, stability and compliance