Reality Check! – A Physical Robot versus its Simulation

Simulated environments usually provide the most frequent test environment for robotic systems, often due to their cost and availability advantages. The crucial question is: how precisely must a simulation match the real world in order to produce realistic results? In this demonstration the humanoid robot head Flobi, as well as its simulation, will react to diverse visual stimuli in order to indicate visual attention which is an important cue in social interaction. We directly compare the behavior of the virtual robot, triggered by simulated stimuli, to the physical robot, triggered by real world stimuli. Therefore, we are able to assess and demonstrate the current limitations and advantages of our simulation compared to real world interactions.