A surgical robotic system, comprising: a robotic surgical tool having an end effector at a distal end, the end effector comprising two opposing jaws (401A, 401B) each manipulated by a pair of actuators and a pair of antagonistic cables (435A-435D) imparting forces when tensioned by the pair of actuators; and characterized in that the system comprises a controller comprising one or more processors coupled to the robotic surgical tool, the processors configured to: receive, from an input module, an input to effect a desired state of the end effector, the input including at least one of a pitch angle and a yaw angle of the end effector, and a jaw angle between the two jaws; measure positions of the pairs of actuators using sensors on the actuator units; measure tensioning forces on the pairs of antagonistic cables using sensors; determine a desired position of the end effector based on the pitch angle and the yaw angle, and a desired grip force between the two jaws based on the jaw angle; generate a first drive command for each actuator of the pairs of actuators based on the desired position and the measured positions and tensioning forces; estimate a current grip force between the two opposing j aws based on the measured tensioning forces on the pairs of antagonistic cables; generate a second drive command for each actuator of the pairs of actuators based on a difference between the desired grip force and the estimated current grip force; and drive the pairs of actuators to effect the desired position and the desired grip force using a composite drive command based on a summation of the first drive command and the second drive command. a robotic surgical tool having an end effector at a distal end, the end effector comprising two opposing jaws (401A, 401B) each manipulated by a pair of actuators and a pair of antagonistic cables (435A-435D) imparting forces when tensioned by the pair of actuators; and characterized in that the system comprises a controller comprising one or more processors coupled to the robotic surgical tool, the processors configured to: receive, from an input module, an input to effect a desired state of the end effector, the input including at least one of a pitch angle and a yaw angle of the end effector, and a jaw angle between the two jaws; measure positions of the pairs of actuators using sensors on the actuator units; measure tensioning forces on the pairs of antagonistic cables using sensors; determine a desired position of the end effector based on the pitch angle and the yaw angle, and a desired grip force between the two jaws based on the jaw angle; generate a first drive command for each actuator of the pairs of actuators based on the desired position and the measured positions and tensioning forces; estimate a current grip force between the two opposing j aws based on the measured tensioning forces on the pairs of antagonistic cables; generate a second drive command for each actuator of the pairs of actuators based on a difference between the desired grip force and the estimated current grip force; and drive the pairs of actuators to effect the desired position and the desired grip force using a composite drive command based on a summation of the first drive command and the second drive command. receive, from an input module, an input to effect a desired state of the end effector, the input including at least one of a pitch angle and a yaw angle of the end effector, and a jaw angle between the two jaws; measure positions of the pairs of actuators using sensors on the actuator units; measure tensioning forces on the pairs of antagonistic cables using sensors; determine a desired position of the end effector based on the pitch angle and the yaw angle, and a desired grip force between the two jaws based on the jaw angle; generate a first drive command for each actuator of the pairs of actuators based on the desired position and the measured positions and tensioning forces; estimate a current grip force between the two opposing j aws based on the measured tensioning forces on the pairs of antagonistic cables; generate a second drive command for each actuator of the pairs of actuators based on a difference between the desired grip force and the estimated current grip force; and drive the pairs of actuators to effect the desired position and the desired grip force using a composite drive command based on a summation of the first drive command and the second drive command.