Steven Fortune

AT&T (United States), Mathematical Sciences Research Institute

Papers

Total Citations

124

H-Index

About

Steven Fortune is a researcher whose work spans robotics, motion planning, and robotic manipulation, with particular emphasis on the theoretical foundations of stable grasping and coordinated robotic systems. His influential 1985 paper, "Stable Prehension with Three Fingers," established a foundational result demonstrating that a three-fingered spring-loaded robotic hand could achieve stable equilibrium grasps on any polygonal object without relying on friction — a surprising and elegant finding that earned 24 citations and shaped subsequent thinking in robotic manipulation theory. Fortune expanded on this work in 2005 with "Stable Prehension with a Multi-Fingered Hand," which garnered 52 citations and extended earlier results, revealing counterintuitive equilibrium behaviors under specific conditions. His 1986 contribution, "Coordinated Motion of Two Robot Arms," tackled the challenging problem of simultaneous multi-arm motion planning in obstacle-rich environments, developing efficient algorithms for two-degree-of-freedom arms and accumulating 48 citations. Collectively, Fortune's research has made lasting contributions to the mathematical and algorithmic underpinnings of robotic grasping and motion planning, providing tools and insights that continue to inform both theoretical inquiry and practical robotics engineering.