Gripping system

A gripping system for gripping an object using a hand mechanism having at least two finger portions, comprising:

• a memory storing a program;
• and
• one or more processors connected to the memory, the one or more processors executing the program to:
• determine whether or not a predetermined gripping portion, with which the at least two finger portions of the hand mechanism are brought into contact when the object is to be gripped, is exposed;
• specify a contactable portion and an unexposed portion of the object when the predetermined gripping portion is determined to be not exposed, the contactable portion being a portion of the object that is contactable by a first finger portion constituting at least one of the at least two finger portions and the unexposed portion being a portion of the object that is not exposed at a time of the determination and therefore not contactable by either the first finger portion or a second finger portion that differs from the first finger portion;
• control the hand mechanism to expose the unexposed portion so that the first finger portion or the second finger portion becomes contactable with the unexposed portion that has been exposed by altering a position or an attitude of the object while causing the first finger portion to contact the contactable portion;
• and
• control the hand mechanism to grip the object in a state where the unexposed portion has been exposed by bringing the first finger portion or the second finger portion into contact with the unexposed portion that has been exposed and bringing a finger portion other than the finger portion contacting the unexposed portion that has been exposed into contact with a predetermined surface of the object other than the unexposed portion that has been exposed.