Helixar Labs
Companion SpecCC BY 4.0Physical AI

HDP-P

HDP extended to physical AI: robots, vehicles, surgical systems.

HDP-P extends the HDP trust model to embodied agents. It introduces the Embodied Delegation Token, a four-class irreversibility classification, and mandatory pre-execution authorization for actions in the physical world.

Status
Draft companion spec
Version
0.1
Base protocol
HDP
License
CC BY 4.0
DOI
10.5281/zenodo.19332440

The idea

A prompt injection that leaks data is recoverable. A robot arm that moves into a person is not. HDP-P extends HDP’s trust model to embodied agents — treating physical irreversibility as a security property.

Authorization is checked before an action executes, not audited after it.

What HDP-P adds

Four mechanisms on top of HDP, all bound into a single signed token before the agent may actuate.

Irreversibility classification

A four-class scale from reversible to catastrophic; actions above a ceiling need confirmation or are prohibited.

Embodied Delegation Token

An EDT binds intent to a specific machine, workspace, force and velocity limits, and excluded zones.

Policy attestation

Every action carries the policy hash, training-run id, and sim-validation status it was cleared under.

Fleet delegation scope

Explicit limits on sub-delegation depth and which agents an authorization may pass to.

An Embodied Delegation Token

Intent bound to a physical envelope: permitted actions, excluded zones, force limits, and an irreversibility ceiling.

edt.json
{
  "hdp": "0.1",
  "scope": {
    "intent": "Pick and place parts in assembly cell 3.",
    "authorized_tools": ["move_arm", "grip", "sensor_read"]
  },
  "hdp-p": {
    "embodiment": { "type": "manipulator", "platform": "UR10e" },
    "action_scope": {
      "permitted_actions": ["pick", "place", "grip_open", "grip_close"],
      "excluded_zones": ["zone_personnel_A", "zone_electrical_cabinet"],
      "force_limit_n": 50,
      "max_velocity_ms": 0.25
    },
    "irreversibility": {
      "max_class": 1,
      "class2_requires_confirmation": true,
      "class3_prohibited": true
    },
    "policy_attestation": { "policy_hash": "sha256:a1b2c3…", "sim_validated": true }
  },
  "signature": { "alg": "Ed25519", "kid": "key-1", "value": "…" }
}

Published in the open

HDP-P is a companion specification, published on Zenodo (10.5281/zenodo.19332440), with a public Hugging Face demo that blocks unsafe actuator commands before execution. See the announcement, or the base protocol HDP.