The aim of our research is to develop an anthropomorphic five-digit robotic hand and arm with a hand-arm cooperative control system. We define the human hand to compose an active 21 D.O.F. structure, having a 1-D.O.F. flexible palm, on the base of Kapandji's (1970) physiological study of the human hand. The hand and arm actions are categorized and analyzed to draw the relation in the upper limb movements. A 16 D.O.F robotic hand is designed as a test bed for evaluating the hypothesis and to propose a guide for the mechanical design and synchronous sequential multiple motor control for anthropomorphic hand-arm cooperating movements. The design of the robotic hand, the categorization, and the relative networking characteristic of the upper limb joints are discussed in this paper.