Installation

This guide covers installing the i2rt Python package from source on Ubuntu (recommended) or any Linux system with CAN bus support.

Prerequisites

Requirement	Version
OS	Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (recommended)
Python	3.11
CAN adapter	CANable or compatible USB-CAN device
Build tools	build-essential, python3-dev

Using a Raspberry Pi?

The Flow Base ships with a Raspberry Pi that is pre-configured with the latest firmware. See the Hardware Setup guide for SSH access and update instructions.

Install from Source

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/i2rt-robotics/i2rt.git
cd i2rt

2. Install uv (fast Python package manager)

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
source $HOME/.local/bin/env

3. Create a virtual environment

uv venv --python 3.11
source .venv/bin/activate

4. Install system build dependencies

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential python3-dev linux-headers-$(uname -r)

5. Install the package

uv pip install -e .

The -e flag installs in editable mode so you can modify source files and run examples without reinstalling.

Verify Installation

python -c "import i2rt; print('i2rt installed successfully')"

Optional: MuJoCo Visualization

The simulator requires MuJoCo, which is installed automatically as a dependency. Verify it works:

python examples/minimum_gello/minimum_gello.py --mode visualizer_local

This opens the MuJoCo viewer with the YAM arm model. No hardware required.

Next Steps

• Hardware Setup — CAN bus configuration
• Quick Start — move the arm in 5 minutes