From 0b067df57d21d3a02d6c511f1609172fa39ac29b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Steven Palma <imstevenpmwork@ieee.org>
Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2026 18:02:38 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] feat(robots): add context managers (#2828)

---
 src/lerobot/robots/robot.py               | 26 +++++++++++++++++++++++
 src/lerobot/teleoperators/teleoperator.py | 26 +++++++++++++++++++++++
 2 files changed, 52 insertions(+)

diff --git a/src/lerobot/robots/robot.py b/src/lerobot/robots/robot.py
index d1021daf4..d165886b9 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/robots/robot.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/robots/robot.py
@@ -58,6 +58,32 @@ class Robot(abc.ABC):
     def __str__(self) -> str:
         return f"{self.id} {self.__class__.__name__}"
 
+    def __enter__(self):
+        """
+        Context manager entry.
+        Automatically connects to the camera.
+        """
+        self.connect()
+        return self
+
+    def __exit__(self, exc_type, exc_value, traceback) -> None:
+        """
+        Context manager exit.
+        Automatically disconnects, ensuring resources are released even on error.
+        """
+        self.disconnect()
+
+    def __del__(self) -> None:
+        """
+        Destructor safety net.
+        Attempts to disconnect if the object is garbage collected without cleanup.
+        """
+        try:
+            if self.is_connected:
+                self.disconnect()
+        except Exception:  # nosec B110
+            pass
+
     # TODO(aliberts): create a proper Feature class for this that links with datasets
     @property
     @abc.abstractmethod
diff --git a/src/lerobot/teleoperators/teleoperator.py b/src/lerobot/teleoperators/teleoperator.py
index cd9e3a53d..847b88b7f 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/teleoperators/teleoperator.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/teleoperators/teleoperator.py
@@ -58,6 +58,32 @@ class Teleoperator(abc.ABC):
     def __str__(self) -> str:
         return f"{self.id} {self.__class__.__name__}"
 
+    def __enter__(self):
+        """
+        Context manager entry.
+        Automatically connects to the camera.
+        """
+        self.connect()
+        return self
+
+    def __exit__(self, exc_type, exc_value, traceback) -> None:
+        """
+        Context manager exit.
+        Automatically disconnects, ensuring resources are released even on error.
+        """
+        self.disconnect()
+
+    def __del__(self) -> None:
+        """
+        Destructor safety net.
+        Attempts to disconnect if the object is garbage collected without cleanup.
+        """
+        try:
+            if self.is_connected:
+                self.disconnect()
+        except Exception:  # nosec B110
+            pass
+
     @property
     @abc.abstractmethod
     def action_features(self) -> dict: