Humanoid robots expose different APIs, sensors, actuators, units, joint names and hardware layouts. Software built around one robot’s conventions can therefore require substantial adaptation before it works on another. Standardized interfaces help by defining shared contracts: developers can reuse more of an application and handle platform-specific differences in a smaller set of adapters.
That is a credible mechanism for reducing duplicated integration work—not a measured promise of a particular time or cost saving. Current efforts cover distinct layers, and no single adopted standard covers every humanoid hardware and software interface.
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What a standardized interface changes
Without a common contract, application code often depends on a particular robot vendor’s API and conventions. Porting it means learning how the target platform names and indexes joints, reports units and sensor data, and accepts actuator commands. The TOUGH paper describes this portability problem and proposes a transportable API and user interface that use ROS topics to read robot state and sensor data and send desired commands. TOUGH paper
A shared interface separates the reusable part of a capability from the platform-specific implementation. The application targets a defined contract; an adapter translates between that contract and a robot’s actual hardware and software. This can make it easier to reuse code, compare or select components, and maintain applications across platforms. It does not eliminate the need to account for hardware differences, nor does interface compatibility alone establish that a component is safe or performs well in a particular robot.
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ROS 2 is a software layer, not a universal hardware guarantee
Open Robotics describes ROS 2 as an open-source software development kit intended to provide a standard software platform from research and prototyping through deployment and production. That shared software layer can help organize development across projects, but using ROS 2 does not make hardware, timing, safety behavior or the meaning of commands identical across robots. Open Robotics’ ROS 2 brochure
A concrete portability example: tactile reflexes on two robots
The Cross-Platform Tactile Capabilities Interface (TCI) study abstracted arm actuators and tactile-skin sensors. It reports implementing protective withdrawal reflexes on both NAO and iCub with the same high-level source code; the interface connected generic capability code to platform-specific layers. TCI study
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The result demonstrates reuse in a bounded case: humanoid arms and tactile capabilities. It does not establish that whole-body behaviors, or arbitrary applications, transfer unchanged between humanoids. Platform-specific integration remains necessary wherever hardware, conventions or behavior differ.
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What current standards and projects cover
“Standardized interface” can mean a physical connection, electrical requirements, a software-module description, an application API or shared task terminology. These efforts differ in scope and maturity; none should be mistaken for a complete standard governing every humanoid subsystem.
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| Effort | Layer and scope | Status and boundary |
|---|---|---|
| ISO 22166-202:2025 | Information model for service-robot software modules. ISO says it can help builders compare modules from different vendors and integrate them into larger systems, across design, development, operation and maintenance. | Published standard. It addresses service-robot modularity, not the complete humanoid system. ISO 22166-202:2025 |
| ISO/AWI 24112 | Electrical connectivity and interoperability for end-effectors with nominal power requirements up to 200 W. Its abstract addresses robot-side electrical connection characteristics, designation, marking and interfacing for safety-related functions. | Approved work item under development, not a published standard. The abstract excludes mechanical requirements beyond electrical connectors, network requirements through application-layer communication protocols, and safety performance requirements. Mechanical interfaces are referenced separately in ISO 9409-1 and ISO 9409-2. ISO/AWI 24112 |
| IEEE P3870 | Proposed reference framework and general requirements for intelligent-control systems in humanoid robots used in digital production and services. Its proposed scope includes foundational resources, runtime, software platforms, intelligent capabilities, application interfaces and safety-assurance requirements. | Active project approved on 2026-09-25; it is not a published standard. IEEE P3870 |
| IEEE 1872.1-2024 | Task-representation ontology: terms, attributes, types, structures, constraints and relationships for robot task knowledge. | Relevant to shared task meaning, but not a physical connector or robot-control API. IEEE Robotics and Automation Society approved standards |
| IEEE humanoid study group | Landscape work: examining which existing standards apply, identifying gaps and roadblocks, and developing a standards roadmap. | A study group, not itself a complete interface standard. IEEE RAS Humanoid Robots study group |
How to assess an interface effort
When deciding whether an interface can make a project more portable, check what it actually standardizes and what work remains at the boundary.
- Layer: Does it cover mounting, electrical power and signals, network transport, a software API, an information model, task semantics or safety functions?
- Scope: Is the contract for one end-effector, a software module, a subsystem, an application interface or a complete robot system?
- Maturity: Is it a published standard, a work item under development, an active project, a research prototype or a vendor-specific API?
- Portability evidence: Have implementations run on multiple platforms? Which exact code or behavior was reused?
- Integration obligations: Do adapters still need to reconcile units, coordinate frames, joint naming, timing, safety assurance or vendor-specific behavior?
These checks distinguish a shared contract from a claim of plug-and-play compatibility. For example, a software-module information model can support comparison and integration without standardizing an end-effector’s electrical connection; task vocabulary can align what a robot task means without defining how an actuator receives a command.
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What standardization can—and cannot—promise
Interfaces can move repeated integration effort toward shared contracts and a smaller set of adapters, allowing more application logic to be reused. They cannot erase physical variation, guarantee compatible performance or safety, or make every capability portable without robot-specific engineering.
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