# Safety & Handling

> The robot's states, how to support and carry it, and the rules for working around it. Read this before the firmware first runs.

- Page: https://docs.menlo.ai/asimov/1/operate/safety
- Section: Asimov › Asimov 1 › Operate Asimov 1
- Next: [Stopping the Robot](https://docs.menlo.ai/asimov/1/operate/safety/stopping.md)

Asimov 1 weighs 35 kg and has 25 actuators. Read this page before you start the firmware for the first time, and [Stopping the Robot](https://docs.menlo.ai/asimov/1/operate/safety/stopping.md) before your first drive.

> [!WARNING]
>
> **Every stop in the console is software**
>
> The **E-Stop** and every other stop in Asimov Manager are carried out by the robot's own computers. None of them replaces cutting power. Whenever the firmware is running, know how to [cut power](https://docs.menlo.ai/asimov/1/operate/safety/stopping.md#cutting-power).

## The Robot's States

| State | What the actuators do | Holds itself up? |
| - | - | - |
| **Unpowered** | The firmware is stopped. Actuators are offline and every joint moves freely by hand | No |
| **Damp** | The firmware is running. Actuators are powered but limp | No |
| **Stand** | Actuators hold a standing pose | Keep it supported — see [Stand Up and Walk](https://docs.menlo.ai/asimov/1/operate/drive/stand-up.md) |
| **Walk** | The locomotion policy balances the robot, and moves it only when you drive | Yes, on a flat floor |

> [!WARNING]
>
> **Handle the robot only while it is unpowered**
>
> Pose, inspect and carry the robot only while it is **Unpowered**. A damped robot is just as limp, but its actuators are live: a posture change, a fault or a stray command can move a joint without warning.

## Supporting the Robot

Until the robot is walking, support it in one of these ways:

- **Hanging from its gantry hook.** Keeps the legs free for calibration and standing up.
- **Seated on a bench.** Stable enough that the robot can go limp without tipping.
- **Held by a person** at the torso, never the joints, who expects it to go limp.

Support it again before you damp it or turn it off.

> [!WARNING]
>
> **A stop releases the actuators without warning**
>
> An **E-Stop** or a fault makes the robot go limp at once. Keep clear space around a free-standing robot.

## Lifting and Carrying

Until detailed lifting guidance is published:

1. Turn the robot off and [cut power](https://docs.menlo.ai/asimov/1/operate/safety/stopping.md#cutting-power).
2. Carry it with two people, holding the torso. The limbs swing freely and shift the robot's weight as you move.

## Before Every Session

- **Clear the area.** Keep a space several times the robot's footprint free of people and obstacles.
- **Use a flat floor.** Never stand or walk the robot on a bench, on a slope or near an edge.
- **Keep it in sight.** The **Drive Robot** page shows no video in this release.
- **One person drives.** Only one Drive Robot session or gamepad controls the robot at a time. Make sure everyone nearby knows who has it.
- **Support it through transitions.** From firmware start until it is walking, and again before it damps or turns off.
- **Know your stops.** Read [Stopping the Robot](https://docs.menlo.ai/asimov/1/operate/safety/stopping.md), including how to cut power.

**Next:** [Set Up](https://docs.menlo.ai/asimov/1/operate/setup.md) commissions a newly assembled robot.