a robotic hand to grasp objects , either of regular or irregular configuration , and to provide information related to the shape of the object . numerous embodiments are described : each embodiment includes a housing and a plurality of finger units that are deployed from the housing , with tips of fingers contacting the object at a sufficient number of points to support the object . each finger unit is provided with a guide whereby the finger unit is constrained to move along a fixed path . pneumatic , hydraulic and electromechanical deployment systems are typically used . deployment is in unison , individually or in groups . each finger unit is provided with a suitable form of distance measuring system so as to determine the distance of travel of each finger unit from the housing along the fixed path to its position of contact . typical systems for distance measurement include resistive , capacitive , inductive and digital encoder reading . the embodiments are of particular value when operated remotely , and where visual observation of an object is obscured . information obtained from the distance measuring systems is processed in a computer to determine actual shape and other shape parameters of the object .