The design of a humanoid robot is the result of a great amount of interdisciplinary science. Salvius has been built in compliance with a versioned engineering specification to ensure that each new component must meet a minimum standard of functionality before being added to the robot. Adhering to a specification makes it possible to set development goals and measure the project's progress. Versioning also makes it possible for development to continue even if the entire robot cannot be immediately upgraded to match the latest version of the specification.
Salvius was originally developed without specification. With many components being continuously developed and improved, it became necessary to develop a specification to follow to ensure that new parts could successfully replace old ones.