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Repository: https://github.com/isaac-for-healthcare/i4h-workflows

Workflow Run Modes#

A run mode answers one simple question: How should this workflow run?

The code and command-line interface use the shorter name mode, including WORKFLOW.modes and --mode. Documentation and other beginner-facing text use run mode to make the meaning clear.

Standard Run Modes#

Friendly label Mode name What it does Shared implementation
View only idle Opens and renders the Scene without driving the robot. idle.py
Manual control teleop Lets a person drive the robot with a supported input device. teleop.py
Rule-based rule-based Runs a deterministic task graph in the simulator. Workflow-specific graph, with reusable Cartesian patterns in rule_based.py
AI policy policy Runs a learned policy Task. policy.py
Playback replay Applies actions from a recorded episode. replay.py

A workflow exposes only the run modes it can actually execute. For example:

WORKFLOW = Workflow(
    scene="example_scene",
    modes={
        "idle": idle,
        "rule-based": rule_based,
        "teleop": teleop,
    },
)

All run modes use the same Scene and shared SimulationRunner. Selecting a run mode changes the TaskGraph; it does not select a different runner or create another Scene.

Workflow-Specific Run Modes#

A workflow may expose a specialized run mode when the standard five do not describe a genuinely different graph. Current examples include:

  • policy_n17 for the scissor workflow's GR00T N1.7 policy variant.
  • demo for the endoluminal workflow's deterministic demonstration.
  • validate_fluoroscopy for the endoluminal workflow's imaging diagnostic.

These names are extensions for one workflow, not additional standard run modes. Prefer a standard mode when it accurately describes the execution path, and use checkpoint or runtime configuration instead of creating a new mode for ordinary parameter changes.

Ownership#

  • Keep reusable run-mode builders in this directory.
  • Keep workflow-specific graph builders in the owning workflow module.
  • Keep each workflow's supported run modes in its WORKFLOW.modes mapping.
  • Keep the Engine independent of concrete run-mode names; it executes the selected TaskGraph.