Specifically, inspired by the analogy between multi-finger hands and CNC machines, this thesis interprets a tool-manipulating hand as configuring itself and the tool into different tool-hand mechanisms in real time. To concretely represent each tool-hand mechanism—which consists of the tool, the hand, and the contacts—this thesis introduces two concepts: 1) foundational pose, a pose and precondition that the tool and the hand must reach for the tool-hand mechanism to be successfully constructed and to run, and a concise representation of tool-hand mechanism. 2) sub-assembly, a set of contacts that independently fulfills part of the tool-hand mechanism’s function, and a detailed, modular representation of tool-hand mechanism.

This thesis first tests the validity of the concept of foundational pose via the question: “if a tool and a hand have reached a foundational pose, can they act as the corresponding tool-hand mechanism and perform the tool manipulation motion?” To answer this question, the thesis conducts a hand design experiment, which uses foundational poses as constraints to sample many different hands and evaluates their tool manipulation motions. The results lead to a positive answer to the question, verifying the concept of foundational pose.

Finally, for the proposed work, this thesis aims to test the validity of the concept of sub-assembly via the question: “how many sub-assemblies are enough?” Based on the answer to this question, this thesis aims to develop a sub-assembly-based control framework, and test the framework on a real robotic hand for an entire tool manipulation sequence.