Interpretation of grasp and manipulation based on grasping surfaces

A method is proposed to classify and describe grasping and manipulation. It is based on the three functions of grasping surfaces, namely object-supporting, pressing and wrapping functions. The method provides a simple description for grasping and manipulation and it can express their physical fundamentals. The description is illustrated through example grasp and manipulation by a human hand. Because it is independent from specific hardware, the obtained interpretations of tasks by a human hand can be easily applied to robotic hand systems. The new method can be expected to change current approaches to designing robot hands