# Roboty, LeRobot and your data

Understand which tool does what, how to choose a path and what can travel between them.

Canonical: https://roboty.dev/guide/setup/robotics-tools-and-data
Content revision: 10
Platforms: iphone, mac, browser, agent

## Which tool does what?

| Tool | Its role in this experience |
| --- | --- |
| Roboty | Guides supported robot software setup and experiments, explains choices, retains private records and reconciles the original operation after a failure. Its native Mac interface owns the selected hardware connection. A paired iPhone can provide guidance and supported controls. |
| LeRobot | Supplies the initial robot integration and standard dataset tools behind the selected Roboty procedures. It also has its own broader workflows for recording, training and evaluating policies. Reusing its library does not expose every upstream feature in Roboty. |
| LeLab | An alternative graphical interface for LeRobot. It has its own setup, recording and learning workflows. Roboty does not embed its complete application or require you to run it alongside Roboty. |
| MuJoCo | Supplies numerical physics for Roboty’s supported simulation tasks. Roboty defines the selected task, controller and success rule around that engine. LeRobot also has simulation integrations. Its broader ecosystem is not limited to physical arms. |

Use [Add a supported robot](/guide/get-started/physical/equipment) for the Mac journey. Start with the supported robot you have. Preserve supplier assembly order. Roboty guides necessary motor configuration and calibration using its managed component.

Roboty manages its runtime internally. Adding or operating a supported robot through Roboty requires no separate Python, conda or LeLab installation, ChatGPT login or AI provider setup. Keep upstream preparation tools separate from Roboty's runtime. Roboty's current native preparation can save facts and profiles. Physical execution requires separately qualified and permitted procedures. A public native installer is not available. A successful simulation does not validate a real installation.

## Choose a platform

The iPhone can retain local drafts and supported local results. It uses the selected Mac for physical preparation and controls. The Mac owns USB, the managed hardware component and the private physical records. Pairing, reading Help and saving preparation do not grant permission to move hardware.

[Device choices](/guide/setup/devices) explains simulation availability and separate workspaces. [Add a supported robot](/guide/get-started/physical/equipment) starts the physical path.

## Use upstream tools deliberately

Read [LeRobot’s SO-101 guide](https://huggingface.co/docs/lerobot/so101) for component setup and calibration, [LeLab’s guide](https://huggingface.co/docs/lerobot/lelab) for that alternative interface, and [LeRobot’s simulation documentation](https://huggingface.co/docs/lerobot/envhub) for upstream simulation options.

Roboty’s managed component has its own pinned environment. Upstream installation commands and features may target another version or operating system. Do not install them into Roboty’s component or global Python environment as a repair. A missing component needs the supported Roboty setup path and its displayed readiness check.

Before another program opens the controller, stop and reconcile the original Roboty session and verify that ownership has been released. Do not run two device owners at once. When returning, inspect changes to motor settings, controller identity, calibration and limits. A different tool cannot inherit Roboty’s physical permission or installation qualification.

## What can travel between tools?

| Material | What reuse means |
| --- | --- |
| Supported LeRobot dataset | The selected local exporter uses the official writer/reader and declares ordered state/action features, units, action meaning and episode timing. Roboty’s prepared local intake supports bounded numeric LeRobot v3.0 episodes. It is not an arbitrary Hub, video or model importer. |
| Extra Roboty evidence | Export metadata can preserve source identity, capture context, original event times and gaps alongside standard dataset fields. Retain the dataset’s description and companion files. Another reader may load standard arrays without understanding those additional meanings. |
| Experiment or finding package | A task, reported evidence and explicitly selected interpretation can help someone understand or reproduce an experiment. This is different from a training dataset. The recipient reviews it and creates their own local revision before any separately permitted attempt. |
| Original calibration | Roboty preserves the original LeRobot JSON for the selected arm and role. Similar kit names do not make calibration interchangeable between physical arms. |
| Permission or validation | These never travel with a file. Another installation needs its own compatible components, calibration, limits, authority and physical checks. |

Standard dataset timestamps describe the nominal frame rate. They must not replace the original observation/action event times or erase missing samples. The selected export also distinguishes requested targets from targets actually sent. Neither alone proves measured motion.

On the owning Mac, the robot’s **Test & practice** result offers **Review and export recording**. Choose **Read recording** to inspect the original result, saved and pending samples, channel units, setup references and timing. An interrupted recording stays labelled interrupted. Review does not repair it or move the arm.

For a closed, reconciled session with a supported converter, enter the task, choose the nominal rate and whether actions mean requested or sent targets, then confirm local export rights. **Create local dataset** uses the existing LeRobot writer and reader. It keeps timing gaps as separate episodes and saves the dataset in this Mac’s Library. **Open dataset folder** opens that local output. Nothing is uploaded or trained.

If conversion is unavailable, keep using recording inspection and follow the displayed build/component recovery guidance. If the response is lost, use **Check original export** before another conversion. Original recordings and partial outputs remain retained. Actual installed interaction and useful real-arm exchange still need acceptance. **Review demonstrations** continues to review simulation captures.

Compatibility is useful groundwork, not proof that a dataset improves a policy or transfers across robots. Choose a named task and consumer, then check feature order, units, action representation, cameras, timing, calibration differences and source rights. Unsupported or missing channels stay missing. Compare actual outcomes before claiming that extra evidence is more useful.

## Keep control of your data

Private setup, calibration and captures remain on their owning Mac. Phone drafts and downloaded reviews have their own local storage. Local storage has limits and is not a backup. Retain a deliberately selected export for important work. Extra evidence does not require automatic cloud collection.

Exporting a local file, sending it to someone, publishing to the Hugging Face Hub and contributing to Roboty are separate choices. None happens merely because you connected an arm or read these guides. Inspect the exact files and source permissions before sharing, including any identifying installation metadata. Community datasets also have their own rights and compatibility requirements.

Read [LeRobotDataset v3.0](https://huggingface.co/docs/lerobot/lerobot-dataset-v3) for the standard format, [sharing](/guide/use/sharing) for Roboty’s selected package routes and [privacy](/guide/reference/privacy) for separate disclosure choices.

Use [Add a supported robot](/guide/setup/physical-robot#choose-the-experience) for necessary software configuration and calibration on the owning Mac. Suppliers retain assembly, firmware servicing and repairs. Preserve their assembly sequence and the optional [note from Gabe](/guide/setup/physical-robot#founder-assembly-resources). Each hardware action needs its own current local review. Powered commissioning remains separately qualified.

Content ID: robotics-tools
Compiled digest: 3f99d40fa6a241afc96a2b0a76fbcf8e55ce4bd2ac536446a2bb302da385b8ae
Language: en