About

Pierre Rouanet is a leading figure in human-robot interaction (HRI) and open-source robotics, with a career dedicated to making robots accessible, intuitive, and physically capable. His research spans three core areas: designing low-cost, 3D-printed humanoid platforms; developing intuitive interfaces for non-expert users to teach and control robots; and exploring compliant, whole-body physical interaction. Rouanet is best known as the co-creator of the Poppy project, an open-source, 3D-printed humanoid robot that has become a global standard for education and research, with related papers accumulating over 100 citations. His most cited work, “Reachy, a 3D-Printed Human-Like Robotic Arm as a Testbed for Human-Robot Control Strategies” (75 citations), exemplifies his commitment to democratizing robotics hardware. He also pioneered user-friendly interfaces—from gesture-based controls to mobile apps—that allow everyday people to teach robots new visual objects, as shown in his 2013 study on the impact of interfaces on visual learning (44 citations). Beyond hardware, Rouanet developed the Explauto library, a Python toolkit for developmental robotics that has become a key resource for studying autonomous exploration. His work on the Acroban robot demonstrated how compliant, lightweight designs enable safe, emergent physical interaction with children and adults. Through open-source platforms and a focus on intuitive control, Rouanet has fundamentally lowered the barrier to entry in humanoid robotics, empowering a new generation of researchers and educators.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

10
H-Index
14
Papers
355
Total Citations
25
Avg Citations/Paper
🏆 Most Cited Paper
Reachy, a 3D-Printed Human-Like Robotic Arm as a Testbed for Human-Robot Control Strategies
75 citations · 2019
📈 Most Prolific Year: 2013 (4 Papers)
🤝 Key Collaborators: 19
🏛 Institutions: Institut national de recherche en sciences et technologies du numérique, Centre Inria de l'université de Bordeaux, École Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées

Top Papers

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Key Collaborators

Contact & Links

Available for collaboration
Content generated · 13 days ago