The Workshop for the Design and Control of Dexterous Hands was held at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory on November 5-6, 1981. Outside experts were brought together to discuss four topics: kinematics of hands, actuation and materials, touch sensing and control. This report summarizes the discussions of the participants and attempts to identify a consensus on applications, mechanical design, and control.

A method is presented for stably grasping 2 dimensional polygonal objects with a dextrous hand when object models are not avaiable. Basic constraints on object vertex angles are found for feasible grasping with two fingers. Local tactile information can be used to determine the finger motion that will reach feasible grasping locations. With an appropriate choice of finger stiffness, a hand can automatically grasp these objects with two fingers. The bounded slip of a part in a hand is shown to be valuable for adapting the fingers and object to a stable situation. Examples are given to show the ability of this grasping method to accomodate disturbance forces and to perform simple part reorientations and regrasping operations.