artificialbrains-sdk 0.1.6
ArtificialBrains Python SDK
Requires Python: >=3.8

# ArtificialBrains Python SDK

This repository contains a Python SDK for interacting with the
Artificial Brains API. Artificial Brains is the end-to-end platform for building biologically inspired brain for robots, using a new apporach to robotic intelligence based on Spiking Neural Networks, bringing continual learning and edge computing as its main benefits. 

This SDK wraps the REST and realtime endpoints and
provides helpers for streaming sensor data, decoding neural output
spikes into robot commands, building feedback rasters and computing
rewards.  The goal of this SDK is to make it easy for developers to
connect their own robots, simulators or control systems to the
Artificial Brains backend without having to re‑implement the low level
protocol.

## Features

- **HTTP client** for starting and stopping runs and querying state
- **Realtime client** built on Socket.IO for streaming inputs and
  receiving telemetry at high rates
- **Input streamer** that automatically responds to server requests for
  sensor data
- **Generic spike decoders** that convert brain output spikes into
  actuator deltas using flexible mapping rules and decoding schemes
  commands; includes four ready to use decoders
- **Feedback error generator** to build correction spikes from
  deviations (for sensory-motor feedback)
- **Reward modulation** helper mirroring biological-brains behaviour around rewards for learning rules

The SDK abstracts away the networking details and allows you to
focus on your controller and learning logic.

## Installation

### Install from PyPI (recommended)

```bash
pip install artificialbrains-sdk
```

This installs the official, versioned ArtificialBrains Python SDK.


### Install from GitHub

You can also install the SDK directly from GitHub:
```bash
pip install git+https://github.com/artificial-brains-inc/artificial_brains_sdk_py.git
```

To install a specific release:
```bash
pip install git+https://github.com/artificial-brains-inc/artificial_brains_sdk_py.git@v0.1.0
```

### Requirements

This SDK requires Python **3.12** or newer.  It depends on the
following third party libraries:

- [`python‑socketio` ≥ 5.16.0](https://pypi.org/project/python-socketio/), released on
  24 December 2025【35173131248404†L25-L33】, which provides the Socket.IO client
  implementation used for realtime communication.
- [`httpx` ≥ 0.28.1](https://pypi.org/project/httpx/), released on
  6 December 2024【174665618111792†L25-L33】, a modern HTTP client that
  supports both synchronous and asynchronous APIs.

The SDK itself is pure Python and has no additional compiled
dependencies.

You can install the required dependencies into your project by
creating a `requirements.txt` file and running `pip install -r requirements.txt`:

```txt
python-socketio==5.16.0
httpx==0.28.1
```


## Quick start

The typical workflow when using this SDK is:

1. Create an `ABClient` pointing at your Artificial Brains API:

   ```python
   from ab_sdk import ABClient
   client = ABClient("https://app.artificialbrains.ai/api/", api_key="my_secret")
   client.sync_policies(PROJECT_ID, policies_dir="policies")
   
   # start a run for project 'project_id' -- you'll find it in your project. 
   run = client.start("rproject_id")
   ```

An .env file for the SDK would need the following information: 
  ``` python
  # Copy this file to `.env` and fill in your own values
  # API key for the Artificial Brains service
    API_KEY=YOUR_API_KEY
  # Project identifier to start a run (the backend expects a numeric or string ID) Genesis: 691cb6bc14e402b5ee225c21
  PROJECT_ID=YOUR_PROJECT_ID
  # Your namespace and URL (leave them as they are unless you have an assigned environments)
  SOCKET_NAMESPACE=/ab
  AB_BASE_URL=https://app.artificialbrains.ai/api
  ```

2. Attach sensor providers and start streaming inputs:

   ```python
   from ab_sdk import InputStreamer

   streamer = InputStreamer(run)
   
   # provider function returning the latest JPEG image from your camera
   def get_camera_frame():
       # user code here
       img_bytes = ...  # bytes of JPEG
       return {
           'format': 'jpeg',
           'meta': {'width': 640, 'height': 480},
           'data': img_bytes,
       }
   
   streamer.register_input('cam_rgb', 'Image', get_camera_frame)

   # provider function returning audio as raw PCM
   def get_audio_chunk():
       pcm = ...  # bytes of 16‑bit PCM
       return {
           'format': 'pcm16',
           'meta': {'sampleRate': 16000, 'channels': 1},
           'data': pcm,
       }
   streamer.register_kind('Audio', get_audio_chunk)

   streamer.start()
   ```

3. Define a decoder to turn output spikes into robot commands and
   create a control loop:

   ```python
   from ab_sdk import RobotLoop
   from ab_sdk.plugins.decoder import MappingEntry

   # define how each output population drives a joint
   mapping = [
       MappingEntry(
           node_id="V1",
           channel="joint:0",
           scheme="bipolarSplit",
           per_step_max=0.004,
           gain=0.5,
       ),
       MappingEntry(
           node_id="L1",
           channel="joint:1",
           scheme="bipolarSplit",
           per_step_max=0.004,
           gain=0.5,
       ),
       MappingEntry(
           node_id="P1",
           channel="gripper",
           scheme="addition",
           per_step_max=0.001,
          gain=1.0,
       ),
   ]

   run.set_decoder(decoder)

   # callback returning the current robot state
   def get_state():
       return {
           'q': [0.0, 0.0],        # joint positions
           'dq': [0.0, 0.0],       # joint velocities
           'grip': {'pos': 0.0},
           'dt': 0.02,
       }

   # callback applying the decoded command to your robot
   def apply_command(cmd):
       dq = cmd['dq']
       dg = cmd['dg']
       # send dq and dg to your motors / gripper here
       print(f"Move joints by {dq}, gripper by {dg}")

   loop = RobotLoop(run, state_provider=get_state, command_executor=apply_command)
   loop.run_forever()
   ```

### Decoder model

Decoders in Artificial Brains are **mapping-based and robot-agnostic**.

The brain emits spike activity per output population and timestep.
The SDK converts this activity into actuator deltas using:

- a **mapping** from output populations to actuator channels
- a **scheme** defining how spikes become a scalar value

Channel names are arbitrary strings defined by the developer
(e.g. `"joint:0"`, `"wheel:left"`, `"thruster:z"`, `"gripper"`).

Supported decoding schemes include:

- `bipolarSplit` – difference between first and second half of spikes
- `addition` – sum of spikes
- `booleanThreshold` – binary activation based on spike count
- `bipolarScalar` – {-1, 0, +1} winner-take-all

Multiple output populations may target the same channel; their deltas
are accumulated per timestep.

The decoder produces **per-timestep actuator deltas**, leaving all
integration, physics, and control semantics to the user’s controller.
 
 
4. (Optional but recommended) Sync the project contract and scaffold learning policies, before initialization:

   ```python
   client.sync_policies(PROJECT_ID, policies_dir="policies")
   ```

   This creates reward and deviation policy files that can be customized
   without risk of being overwritten when the project graph changes.

## Policies & Contracts

Artificial Brains separates **machine-owned contracts** from
**user-owned learning logic**.

The SDK provides a safe mechanism to scaffold and update learning
policies without overwriting user code.

### Generated policy structure

When syncing a project contract, the SDK creates a `policies/` directory:

```
policies/
├── reward_policy.py              # user-owned (created once, never overwritten)
├── error_deviation_policy.py     # user-owned (created once, never overwritten)
├── _contract.json                # machine-owned (always overwritten)
├── _contract.py                  # machine-owned (always overwritten)
└── _contract.sha256              # machine-owned (always overwritten)
```

- **Reward policies** define global and per-STDP3-layer rewards.
- **Deviation policies** define per-feedback deviation signals over time.
- **Contract files** expose stable IDs for layers and feedback channels,
  allowing policies to remain deterministic even when the graph evolves.

### Writing reward policies

Reward policies can return both a global reward and per-layer rewards:

```python
from policies._contract import STDP3_LAYERS

def compute_reward(summary, *, stdp_layers=STDP3_LAYERS):
    global_reward = 0.5
    by_layer = {layer_id: global_reward for layer_id in stdp_layers}
    return global_reward, by_layer
```

### Writing deviation policies

Deviation policies emit deviations **per feedback input**:

```python
from policies._contract import FEEDBACK_IDS

def compute_deviation(feedback_id, *, T, ctx=None):
    if feedback_id == "fbP1":
        return [0.0] * T
    return [0.0] * T
```

The backend converts deviations into feedback rasters using the previous
cycle’s feedback as a baseline, making feedback deterministic and stateful
across cycles.

5. Optionally implement deviation and reward policies:

   ```python
   from ab_sdk.plugins.deviation import DefaultDeviation
   from ab_sdk.plugins.reward import DefaultReward

   # attach default zero deviation policy
   run.set_deviation(DefaultDeviation(run))
   
   # attach a simple reward policy; this one returns a constant reward
   run.set_reward(DefaultReward(run))
   ```

Refer to the docstrings in each module for more detailed
documentation.


## Logging and error handling

The SDK uses Python's standard `logging` library.  All modules
inherit the root logger's configuration, so you can control the log
level globally by configuring logging in your application:

```python
import logging
logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO)
```

During development you may wish to enable debug logging for a more
detailed view of the realtime messages being sent and received.  To
do so set the level for the `ab_sdk` namespace:

```python
logging.getLogger('ab_sdk').setLevel(logging.DEBUG)
```

If the SDK encounters a problem (for example a provider returns
invalid data) it will log an error and continue running.  Exceptions
raised by your callback code are logged with stack traces to aid in
debugging.  When a deviation or reward plugin returns values outside
the allowed range the SDK will clamp them to safe defaults.

## License
ArtificialBrains SDK is source-available.

You may use it freely, including in commercial products.
You may not repackage it, host it as a service, or use it to build a
competing platform.

If you want to embed ArtificialBrains into a commercial system, you’re good.
If you want to clone ArtificialBrains, you’re not.


## Elastic License 2.0 (Modified)

Copyright (c) 2026 ArtificialBrains

Permission is hereby granted to use, copy, modify, and distribute this
software for commercial and non-commercial purposes, subject to the
limitations below.

You may:
- Use the software in production
- Build and sell commercial products that depend on it
- Modify the software for internal use

You may not:
- Provide the software as a hosted or managed service
- Repackage, resell, or sublicense the software itself
- Use the software to build or offer a competing platform
- Remove or obscure licensing or attribution notices

This license does not grant rights to use the ArtificialBrains name,
logo, or trademarks.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.


## Contributing

This SDK is a reference implementation. Please open issues or pull requests if you
find bugs or have suggestions.