Coordination of reaching and grasping by capitalizing on obstacle avoidance and other constraints

Reaching and grasping an object can be viewed as the solution of a multiple constraint satisfaction problem. The constraints include obstacle avoidance, contact with the object in the correct positions and with the correct effectors, and generating an acceptable trajectory. We have created an animation program that simulates reaching and grasping in lifelike ways. Well known features of the kinematics of human prehension emerge spontaneously from the model. The fact that the model was an outgrowth of a general model that has been applied to other tasks, including pointing and writing, suggests that the assumptions of the model may be on the right track