Christopher Parlitz

About

Christopher Parlitz is a pioneering robotics researcher whose work has significantly shaped the field of service robotics and human-robot interaction. Best known for his central role in developing **Care-O-bot® 3**, a landmark domestic service robot platform, Parlitz bridged the gap between industrial design and advanced robotic technology to create systems capable of manipulation, navigation, and vision in real-world environments. His 2009 papers on Care-O-bot® 3 have collectively garnered nearly 200 citations, reflecting the platform's enduring influence as both a research tool and a commercial product vision. Parlitz also made foundational contributions to collaborative robotics with **PowerMate**, a safety-certified robot assistant designed to work alongside human operators in industrial handling and assembly settings — a paper that has accumulated over 100 citations. His work on gesture-based human-robot interaction, particularly his five-class framework for classifying gestures to infer human intent, has become a frequently referenced resource in HRI research, with over 105 citations. Beyond hardware, he contributed to mobile robotics through innovative solutions for singularity avoidance in omnidirectional platforms. Across his career, Parlitz has consistently demonstrated a talent for translating complex robotic research into practical, human-centered systems that operate safely and intuitively alongside people.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Care-O-bot^® 3 - creating a product vision for service robot applications by integrating design and technology

   113 citations · 2009
2. 2
   PowerMate-A Safe and Intuitive Robot Assistant for Handling and Assembly Tasks

   108 citations · 2005
3. 3
   A methodological approach relating the classification of gesture to identification of human intent in the context of human-robot interaction

   105 citations · 2005
4. 4
   Robotic Home Assistant Care-O-bot® 3 Product Vision and Innovation Platform

   79 citations · 2009
5. 5
   Care-O-bot® 3 – Vision of a Robot Butler

   40 citations · 2013
6. 6
   Singularity avoidance for over-actuated, pseudo-omnidirectional, wheeled mobile robots

   40 citations · 2009
7. 7
   Intuitive Human-Machine-Interaction and Implementation on a Household Robot Companion

   17 citations · 2007
8. 8
   Making High-Tech Service Robot Platforms Available

   13 citations · 2010
9. 9
   The Mobility Concept of Care-O-bot 3

   7 citations · 2008
10. 10
    Hardware for Industrial Gripping at SCHUNK GmbH & Co. KG

    5 citations · 2012

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links