What Is the Use of the Body Schema for Humanoid Robots?

The paper explains the necessity, for humanoid robots, of the body schema, as a middleware between motor cognition and motor control. A specific model of body schema is described, based on the Passive Motion Paradigm, which uses force fields for representing goals and internal/external constraints. The integration of the body schema with motor control is discussed in relation with whole body movements. Finally, the integration with sensorimotor cognitive processes is addressed, in the context of learning/discovering the use of tools in skilled behavior.