Deploys

arm safety note: Pinch and crush hazards: all robot arms can generate enough

Pinch and crush hazards: all robot arms can generate enough force to injure fingers. Never reach into the workspace while a policy is running. Use an e-stop within arm's reach.

arm safety note: Servo overheating on low-cost arms (SO-100, Koch v1.1): Feet

Servo overheating on low-cost arms (SO-100, Koch v1.1): Feetech STS3215 and Dynamixel XL430 servos can overheat after 20-30 minutes of continuous operation. Monitor temperatures and enforce cooldown periods.

arm safety note: Gripper force calibration: default gripper force on ALOHA 2

Gripper force calibration: default gripper force on ALOHA 2 and Franka can crush soft objects. Tune max gripper force for your task. Start at 20% and increase.

arm safety note: Tabletop mounting: bolt the arm base to a rigid surface. Cla

Tabletop mounting: bolt the arm base to a rigid surface. Clamp mounting leads to vibration at higher speeds, degrading policy performance. Use M5/M6 bolts on aluminum extrusion.

arm safety note: Camera calibration drift: wrist cameras on SO-100 and Koch c

Camera calibration drift: wrist cameras on SO-100 and Koch can shift after collisions. Re-run extrinsic calibration weekly or after any hard contact event.

arm safety note: CE marking status: Franka Panda is CE marked for collaborati

CE marking status: Franka Panda is CE marked for collaborative operation with proper safety configuration. Low-cost arms (SO-100, Koch) have no safety certification — treat as lab-only equipment.

arm safety note: USB latency: SO-100 and Koch communicate via USB serial. A p

USB latency: SO-100 and Koch communicate via USB serial. A powered USB hub reduces latency spikes. Avoid running on USB ports shared with cameras.

arm safety note: Joint limits: policies trained in sim may command positions

Joint limits: policies trained in sim may command positions outside the physical joint range. Always configure software joint limits and enable the robot's built-in limit stops before running any new policy.

quadruped safety note: Fall risk: quadrupeds can fall and damage themselves or surr

Fall risk: quadrupeds can fall and damage themselves or surroundings. First real-world tests should be done with the robot suspended in a gantry or over soft padding. Unitree Go2 legs can break from a 1m fall.

quadruped safety note: Battery management: Go2 Li-Po battery can puff or catch fire

Battery management: Go2 Li-Po battery can puff or catch fire if over-discharged or punctured. Never run below 20% charge. Store at 60% for long-term storage. Keep a fire-safe bag nearby.

quadruped safety note: Sim-to-real gap on terrain: policies trained on Isaac Gym fl

Sim-to-real gap on terrain: policies trained on Isaac Gym flat terrain often fail on real floors due to tile gaps, carpet edges, and slope differences. Start with controlled indoor surfaces.

quadruped safety note: Motor heating under load: Go2 motors heat up during aggressi

Motor heating under load: Go2 motors heat up during aggressive gaits (bounding, pronking). Built-in thermal protection shuts down at 80C. Monitor via the Unitree app during early tests.

quadruped safety note: Outdoor operation: requires clear sightlines, flat ground, a

Outdoor operation: requires clear sightlines, flat ground, and an operator within 5m for e-stop. No autonomous outdoor operation without CE marking and risk assessment. Go2 is CE marked but operator must be present.

quadruped safety note: Foot slippage: real-world friction varies dramatically from

Foot slippage: real-world friction varies dramatically from simulation defaults. Rubber foot covers improve traction on tile and concrete. Stock plastic feet slip on smooth surfaces.

quadruped safety note: Recovery behavior: when a quadruped falls, do not manually p

Recovery behavior: when a quadruped falls, do not manually pick it up while the policy is running. Send a stop command first, then manually reset. Some policies have no self-recovery and will thrash on the ground.

humanoid safety note: Tip-over hazard: humanoid robots are inherently unstable. Th

Tip-over hazard: humanoid robots are inherently unstable. The Unitree G1 weighs 35kg and can cause serious injury if it falls on a person. Maintain a 2m exclusion zone during operation.

humanoid safety note: No safety certification exists for humanoid robots in shared

No safety certification exists for humanoid robots in shared spaces as of 2025. ISO 10218 and ISO/TS 15066 do not cover bipedal platforms. Treat all humanoid deployment as experimental and lab-only.

humanoid safety note: Ankle actuator failures: humanoid ankles bear the full robot

Ankle actuator failures: humanoid ankles bear the full robot weight and are the most common point of failure. Inspect ankle joints before every session. Budget for replacement actuators.

humanoid safety note: Policy transfer is extremely difficult: sim-to-real gap for

Policy transfer is extremely difficult: sim-to-real gap for humanoid whole-body control is much larger than for quadrupeds or arms. Expect 3-6 months of tuning for reliable walking.

humanoid safety note: Power consumption: G1 draws 300-800W depending on gait. Batt

Power consumption: G1 draws 300-800W depending on gait. Battery lasts 1-2 hours. Have spare batteries and a charging station ready for iterative testing.

humanoid safety note: Whole-body control policies require precise mass/inertia cal

Whole-body control policies require precise mass/inertia calibration. Measure your specific robot's link masses — manufacturing tolerances cause 5-15% variation from spec.

humanoid safety note: Emergency stop: always have a wireless e-stop and a second o

Emergency stop: always have a wireless e-stop and a second operator watching. Humanoid falls are sudden and directionally unpredictable. The e-stop operator should not be the same person commanding the robot.

drone safety note: Propeller injuries: even micro drones like the Tello can cut

Propeller injuries: even micro drones like the Tello can cut skin. Always use propeller guards. Never fly near faces. Keep hands below the prop plane.

drone safety note: Regulatory compliance: all autonomous drone flight in the US

Regulatory compliance: all autonomous drone flight in the US requires FAA Part 107 or Part 44809 exemption. Indoor flight in a netted cage is exempt. Outdoor autonomous flight requires a Remote Pilot Certificate.

drone safety note: GPS-denied flight: DJI Tello has no GPS. All autonomous flig

GPS-denied flight: DJI Tello has no GPS. All autonomous flight is relative to takeoff position using IMU/vision. Drift accumulates — flights over 2 minutes need visual anchoring (ArUco markers, VIO).

drone safety note: Battery swelling: Tello Li-Po batteries swell after 200-300

Battery swelling: Tello Li-Po batteries swell after 200-300 cycles. Swollen batteries are a fire risk. Dispose properly and replace when any puffing is visible.

drone safety note: Indoor flight cages: minimum recommended size is 3m x 3m x 2

Indoor flight cages: minimum recommended size is 3m x 3m x 2.5m with fine-mesh netting. Ensure adequate ventilation — prop wash in enclosed spaces causes turbulence that degrades position control.

drone safety note: WiFi latency: Tello uses WiFi for control, adding 50-100ms l

WiFi latency: Tello uses WiFi for control, adding 50-100ms latency. Policies must account for this delay. Direct SDK commands have lower latency than video-stream-based control.

drone safety note: Insurance: most general liability policies exclude drone ope

Insurance: most general liability policies exclude drone operation. Verify your coverage or obtain separate drone liability insurance before any indoor or outdoor flight testing.

rover safety note: Mobile manipulators (Stretch RE1) can tip over if the arm is

Mobile manipulators (Stretch RE1) can tip over if the arm is extended while the base is moving. Keep the arm retracted during navigation. Deploy manipulation and navigation as separate phases.

rover safety note: Wheel encoders on the Stretch drift on carpet. Use the onboa

Wheel encoders on the Stretch drift on carpet. Use the onboard RealSense and LIDAR for localization instead of dead reckoning. Recalibrate odometry for each surface type.

rover safety note: Home environment hazards: stairs, pets, children, glass door

Home environment hazards: stairs, pets, children, glass doors, and loose rugs are all common failure modes for mobile robots in home deployments. Map and exclude hazard zones.

rover safety note: Charging station docking: Stretch RE1 does not auto-dock. Ma

Charging station docking: Stretch RE1 does not auto-dock. Manual intervention needed for recharging. Battery lasts approximately 4-6 hours of mixed navigation/manipulation.

rover safety note: Door thresholds and transitions between flooring types (carp

Door thresholds and transitions between flooring types (carpet to tile) cause the most navigation failures. Test these transitions explicitly before deploying any navigation policy.

rover safety note: Privacy considerations: mobile robots with cameras operating

Privacy considerations: mobile robots with cameras operating in homes raise significant privacy concerns. Implement data minimization — process images on-device and do not store raw video unless explicitly consented.