Learning Path · Beginner-Intermediate · Hardware Required

LinkerBot O6: From Setup to Data Collection

A structured, sequential path that takes you from O6 unboxing to recording training data and deploying your first imitation learning policy. Designed for beginners to robotics with Python and Linux basics.

Total Time ~10 hours
Difficulty Beginner-Intermediate
Hardware LinkerBot O6 + CAN adapter
Prerequisites Linux basics, Python basics
Simulation Option Yes — fake hardware mode
You Will Build A pick-and-place policy trained on your own data

Before You Start — Prerequisites

  • Comfortable with a Linux terminal (cd, ls, pip install)
  • Python 3.10 or higher installed
  • Access to a LinkerBot O6 or a simulation environment
  • A machine running Ubuntu 22.04 (native install for hardware work)
  • About 10 hours of total time across two or three sessions

Not sure if you qualify? Start with Unit 0 — it answers this question before you unbox anything.

Your Path at a Glance

Complete the units in order. Each unit has a completion check. Do not skip ahead.

0

Orientation: What You Need Required

Hardware checklist, CAN bus overview, time estimates, and support resources. No technical content — just orientation.

~20 min · No code
1

Hardware Setup Required

Unbox, mount, wire CAN bus, bring up SocketCAN interface, and verify motor heartbeat. Physical setup complete.

~1.5 hours
2

Software & SDK Required

Install the SDK, configure ROS2 controllers, run fake hardware mode, and confirm live joint state reading from real hardware.

~1.5 hours
3

First Teleoperation Required

Set up leader-follower teleoperation, calibrate, and complete a 5-minute continuous session. Record your first episode.

~2 hours
4

Data Collection Required

Record 50 clean pick-and-place episodes in LeRobot format. Quality filtering workflow and dataset upload to HuggingFace Hub.

~2 hours
5

Train & Deploy Required

Train an ACT or Diffusion Policy on your dataset. Deploy to the real O6. Target: >60% success rate on your task.

~3 hours

Time Breakdown

Unit Topic Time
Unit 0Orientation~20 min
Unit 1Hardware Setup~1.5 h
Unit 2Software & SDK~1.5 h
Unit 3First Teleoperation~2 h
Unit 4Data Collection~2 h
Unit 5Train & Deploy~3 h
Total ~10 h 20 min
Start Unit 0 — Orientation →

Takes about 20 minutes. No technical content — just makes sure you have everything before the path begins.