Why this unit exists: The Booster K1 weighs approximately 55 kg and can generate forces that cause serious injury during unexpected motion. Most humanoid accidents happen in the first five sessions, before operators internalize the safety rules. Read this unit carefully — it exists so you don't become a statistic.

What You Will Build

By the end of this path you will have a working whole-body manipulation policy running live on the Booster K1. You will collect whole-body demonstrations using VR or leader-follower teleoperation, train an imitation learning policy, and deploy it — with the K1 completing a manipulation task autonomously while standing and balancing.

The Rules — Non-Negotiable

Emergency Stop: Setup and Test

The e-stop must be tested before every session. This is not optional. The procedure takes 30 seconds.

  1. Power on the K1 and wait for full boot (~60 seconds).
  2. Connect to the K1 via SDK and confirm mode is DAMP.
  3. Press the e-stop button. Verify the K1's joint impedance drops (all joints go limp in DAMP mode).
  4. Release the e-stop. Confirm the SDK reconnects and mode returns to DAMP.
  5. Only proceed to Unit 1 after this test passes.

If the e-stop does not produce the expected behavior, stop immediately and contact Booster Robotics support before continuing.

Workspace Setup Checklist

  • 3 m × 3 m clear area around the K1's standing position. Measured from the center of the base, not the edge of the robot.
  • Safety mat installed. Covers the full 3 m × 3 m operational area. Edges taped or secured to prevent trip hazards.
  • All cables routed outside the perimeter. Power cable, Ethernet cable, and any camera cables must not cross the operational area.
  • Clear line of sight for both operator and spotter. Neither person should be behind or to the side of the K1 during operation.
  • Emergency exit clear. Both people can exit the area quickly without crossing the robot's path.
  • Spotter briefed and ready. Your spotter understands the e-stop procedure, their role, and when to use the e-stop vs. when to let the robot fall.

What NOT to Do

This list comes from real incidents and near-misses with humanoid robots in research labs:

  • Do not command WALK while someone is within 2 m of the robot.
  • Do not transition to WALK immediately after PREP — wait the full 5 seconds minimum.
  • Do not command fast arm motions (CUSTOM mode) without the lifting fixture installed. Fast upper-body motion can shift center of mass enough to cause a fall.
  • Do not operate the K1 on slippery surfaces (polished concrete, tile, hardwood). Rubber mat is mandatory.
  • Do not attempt to manually rebalance the K1 if it starts to fall. Step back immediately.
  • Do not run data collection sessions longer than 90 minutes without a full system check (power levels, joint temperatures, network stability).

Software Prerequisites (before Unit 1)

  • Ubuntu 22.04 installed natively. Not in a VM for the final hardware work. A VM is acceptable for SDK testing only.
  • Python 3.10+. Run python3 --version to verify.
  • ROS2 Humble installed. Run ros2 --version to verify.
  • ~100 GB free disk space. For ROS2, SDK, demonstration datasets, and model checkpoints.
  • Ethernet cable connected, network interface configured. PC set to 192.168.10.10/24. K1 IP is 192.168.10.102.

How to Get Help

  1. Check the completion check at the bottom of each unit — it usually identifies exactly what's missing.
  2. Post in the SVRC Forum with your Ubuntu version, SDK version, and exact error or behavior.
  3. Read the K1 Software page for SDK-specific troubleshooting.
  4. Contact Booster Robotics support for hardware-level issues (motor errors, boot failures).

Unit 0 Complete When...

Every item in the workspace checklist is confirmed. Your spotter is briefed. The e-stop is tested and functional. You have at least 100 GB of free disk space on your Ubuntu machine. You have read and understand all rules in the "What NOT to Do" section above.