DK1 Tutorials
Curated step-by-step tutorials for the TRLC-DK1 bimanual kit. From first port detection to training your first bimanual ACT policy — everything organized by topic and difficulty.
Start Here
New to the DK1? Follow these tutorials in order. Each builds on the previous one.
Zero to bimanual data collection in one day
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1Read the Quickstart first Hardware checklist, time estimates, software prerequisites, and the bimanual leader/follower orientation. Takes 10 minutes to read; saves hours of debugging.
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2Unboxing & hardware assembly Verify contents, inspect both arms, mount tabletop hardware, connect USB-C cables and power. ~45 minutes.
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3Install LeRobot + DK1 plugin Clone the trlc-dk1 repo, install with uv, verify the bi_dk1_follower device type is registered. ~30 minutes.
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4Port detection & arm configuration Run lerobot-find-port for each arm, assign ttyACM* ports, create the bimanual YAML config. ~20 minutes.
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5Calibrate leader and follower arms Run the calibration procedure for each arm separately. Calibration must be repeated if you unplug or reinstall servos. ~20 minutes.
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6First teleoperation session Run lerobot-teleoperate and verify the follower arm tracks the leader arm with minimal lag and no oscillation. ~30 minutes.
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7Record your first bimanual dataset Follow the 8-step recording workflow: safety check, camera verification, scene setup, LeRobot record command, review, push to HuggingFace. ~1 hour.
Setup & Hardware
Physical assembly, port assignment, and udev rules for permanent port bindings.
Unboxing & Assembly
What's in the box, servo inspection checklist, tabletop mounting for both arms, and cable management for the bimanual workspace.
Port Detection & udev Rules
How to identify which ttyACM port belongs to which arm, and how to create udev rules so assignments persist across reboots.
Leader & Follower Arm Calibration
Step-by-step calibration for each arm. When to recalibrate, how to verify calibration quality, and what to do if joints drift.
Bimanual Workspace Safety
Collision avoidance between two arms, E-stop procedures, safe zone configuration, and power-off sequences for both arms.
Software & SDK
DK1 plugin installation, LeRobot configuration, ROS2 bimanual control, and Python API usage.
DK1 LeRobot Plugin Install
Clone trlc-dk1, install with uv, verify bi_dk1_follower and bi_dk1_leader device types are registered in LeRobot.
ROS2 Bimanual Control Setup
Build the trlc-dk1-ros2 package, launch both arms with the bimanual launch file, and send trajectory commands to each arm.
Python API Bimanual Control
Direct control of both arms with BimanualDK1, reading joint states from both arms simultaneously, and running a custom leader-follower loop.
MuJoCo Bimanual Simulation
Run the DK1 bimanual model in MuJoCo, test teleop policies in sim before hardware deployment, and generate synthetic training data.
Teleoperation
Leader/follower teleoperation techniques, workspace ergonomics, and demonstration quality tips.
First Bimanual Teleoperation Session
Verify leader-follower tracking, set up your workspace ergonomics for two-arm operation, and practice the startup and shutdown procedure.
Teleoperation for High-Quality Demonstrations
Consistent demonstration technique, how to coordinate two hands for pick-and-place and handoff tasks, and common operator errors to avoid.
Teleoperation Guide (full)
Comprehensive coverage of teleoperation hardware, software, and best practices across all robot arm platforms supported by SVRC.
Data Collection & Training
Recording bimanual episodes, dataset quality, and training ACT on your data.
Hardware Connections for Bimanual Recording
Two arms, two cameras, power supply wiring, USB bus assignment, and synchronization verification before the first recording session.
8-Step Bimanual Recording Workflow
Safety check, camera verification, scene setup, LeRobot record command, episode review, and push to HuggingFace Hub.
LeRobot Bimanual Dataset Schema
The DK1-specific episode schema: 16-dimensional action/observation vectors, arm_sync_delta_ms field, and the directory structure for bimanual datasets.
Train ACT on DK1 Bimanual Data
Configure and run ACT training with chunk_size tuning for bimanual tasks. Why ACT outperforms single-step policies for coordinated two-arm manipulation.
Community Resources & Further Reading
External tutorials, community builds, and SVRC learning paths for DK1 users.