Humanoid robot platform suitable for studying embodied interaction

This paper presents the humanoid robot BARTHOC who has been developed to study human-robot interaction (HRI). The main focus of BARTHOC's design was to realize the expression and behavior of the robot to be as human-like as possible. This allows to apply the platform to manifold research and demonstration areas. With his human-like look and mimic possibilities, he differs from other platforms like ASIMO or QRIO, and enables experiments even close to Mori's 'uncanny valley'. The paper describes details of the mechanical and electrical design of BARTHOC together with its PC control interface. Through its humanoid appearance, it can imitate human behavior with its soft- and hardware. Currently, several components for HRI on a mobile robot platform are being ported to BARTHOC. Starting with these components, the robot's human-like appearance enables us to study embodied interaction and to explore theories of human intelligence.