Furhat Robotics

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Virtual Furhat and SDK ​

The Virtual Furhat enables you to build, run, and test interactions - whether you have a physical robot or not.

What's included? ​

The SDK consists of three key parts:

  1. The Launcher Application A desktop application for installing, updating, and running the Virtual Furhat. It also provides an easy way to launch your own skills.

  2. Virtual Furhat A 3D simulation of the robot that shows gestures, head movements, gaze shifts, and more - ideal for development without hardware.

💡 You don’t need a robot to get started. You can build and test everything using the Virtual Furhat.

SDK Launcher UI and Virtual Furhat

Tooling requirements ​

To develop your own skills using Kotlin, we recommend using IntelliJ:

Make sure to install IntelliJ Community Edition and not Ultimate Version. You can choose the latest version.

IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition ​

💡 Make sure to install Java JDK 8 (the Launcher Application can install it for you in the upcoming step)

Installation guide ​

1. Create your SDK account ​

Go to Request SDK and fill out the form. You will get an email with the next steps.

2. Download the launcher ​

Get the installer for your platform from: https://furhat.io/downloads

You might need to log in again. This will be the account you created from the email.

2. Run the installer ​

  • Windows: Double-click the .exe and follow the prompts
  • Mac: Open the .dmg, drag to Applications
  • Linux: Mark the .AppImage as executable, then run

Windows SmartScreen notice: The installer might be flagged until enough users install it. Just click "More info" → "Run anyway."

Connect your account with the API key ​

To link the SDK Launcher with your Furhat Developer account:

  1. Go to furhat.io/profile/user
  2. Scroll to Furhat API Token
  3. Generate a token if you haven’t already
  4. Paste the token into the API Token field in the Launcher

This allows the launcher to fetch SDK updates and manage your Virtual Furhat.

First-time setup ​

  1. Launch the SDK

  2. Click Open Web Interface → This opens http://localhost:8080

  3. Login with password: admin

  4. Configure:

    • Microphone: Settings > Microphone
    • Speaker: Settings > Audio Output

  5. Test:

    • Make Furhat speak
    • Try gaze
    • Play a gesture

Running Furhat AI Creator ​

You can launch Furhat AI Creator by pressing the button in the launcher. Once the graphical user interface opens up, you can start building your characters.

See Furhat AI Creator for full guide.

Using the Realtime API ​

You can use the Realtime API with the SDK.

Since there is no realtime lipsync on the virtual Furhat, the lips won't move if you are streaming audio. The SDK does not have access to the camera - meaning that you cannot request camera frames through the API.

See Realtime API for full guide.

Running skills ​

You can run demo skills or your own packaged .skill files:

  1. Build or download a .skill file
  2. In the Launcher, click Start Skill
  3. Select the file and monitor output in View Console

Learn how to package skills here

Developing your own skills ​

To create a new skill:

  1. Open the SDK Launcher
  2. Click Create Skill Project
  3. Choose a folder and name
  4. Open the project in IntelliJ IDEA
  5. Start coding!

See Creating a Skill for full guide.