Target approach in biological systems

In certain applications such as prosthetics or manipulation in a hostile environment it is necessary to approach a selected target with an artificial arm. In this paper specific features of target approach in biological systems are outlined having in view the design of automata with similar performances. The theoretical basis for the design of servoarms is found in optimal control theory. A control law serving the above purpose is developed, the synthesis procedure for the optimal controller is presented as well as some experimental checks on a human operator.