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Case study, assistive robotics

HARP, an assistive humanoid robot

A humanoid robot that finds its own way through a building, turns to face the person in front of it and holds a conversation on its own onboard computer.

A hardware, C AI

HARP, a white and dark blue humanoid robot with a screen for a face and a second screen on its body, standing on a tiled floor. The AUTOVENDI II delivery robot and a roll-up banner stand behind it.
HARP in the studio, full height, with Auto Vendi II behind it.

What is HARP?

HARP is an assistive humanoid robot designed and built by WhiteHat Design Studio. It is a platform for reception, guidance and research into how people and robots work together. It is modular, built to be set up for different settings.

It joins two inputs. A is the robot itself: the base, the head, the screens and the computing on board, built around a Raspberry Pi 5. C is what lets it behave like a host rather than a kiosk: navigation on a predefined map, a camera that finds the person in front of it, and a language model that answers without leaving the robot.

How HARP works.

  1. Find its way

    HARP drives itself on a predefined map, using visual odometry and SLAM. A gamepad takes over when an operator needs it.

  2. Face the person

    A camera in the head finds faces, and the head turns to follow the person in front of it.

  3. Hold a conversation

    An onboard language model answers in real time, on the robot itself.

  4. Show it

    Two screens, an expressive face and a display on the body, show people what the robot is doing.

How HARP fits togetherVision for face tracking and visual odometry, and a gamepad for remote control, feed HARP's onboard computing, built around a Raspberry Pi 5. On board, it runs the language model and navigation on a predefined map, using SLAM. It turns the head towards the person, drives the mobile base, shows a face and a body screen, and answers in real time.VisionFace tracking,visual odometryGamepadRemote controlOnboard computingBuilt around a Raspberry Pi 5:language model, SLAM, navigationHeadTurns to youBaseDrives itselfScreensFace, bodyConversationIn real time
HARP in a lab with its face and body screens lit, as people stand near it.
The assembled robot in a lab demonstration.
HARP's head on a bench beside a laptop that shows the camera view used for face tracking.
The head and its camera during face tracking development.
HARP's mobile base, a black frame carrying a laptop, on a tiled floor, with a gamepad held in the foreground.
The mobile base under gamepad control.

On film.

Clips from the log. They have no sound, and each one says what happens.

0:30, no soundThe assembled HARP stands in a lab with its face and body screens lit. People come up to it and stand beside it while it is filmed from several sides.
0:10, no soundHARP's head sits on a bench next to a laptop. The laptop shows the head camera's view of a person's face, with the tracking output beside it, while the face moves in front of the camera.
0:30, no soundHARP's mobile base, a black frame carrying a laptop, is driven across a tiled floor by someone holding a gamepad in the foreground.

Questions about HARP

What is HARP?

HARP is an assistive humanoid robot designed and built by WhiteHat Design Studio, for reception, guidance and research into how people and robots work together.

What computer does HARP use?

HARP is built around a Raspberry Pi 5, and its language model runs on the robot itself.

Can HARP find its own way around a building?

Yes. It drives itself on a predefined map, using visual odometry and SLAM, and a gamepad takes over when an operator needs it.

What we do not claim

  • No measured result is published yet. Navigation accuracy, response time and running time will appear here once measured, with their conditions.

Sources

Published , updated .

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