diff --git a/examples/unitree_g1/motion_loader.py b/examples/unitree_g1/motion_loader.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c4c7e6267
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/unitree_g1/motion_loader.py
@@ -0,0 +1,174 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+# Copyright 2025 The HuggingFace Inc. team. All rights reserved.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+"""Load an SMPL motion clip and expose it in SONIC's encoder format.
+
+SONIC's whole-body tracking mode (``encode_mode == 2``) consumes a flat
+720-vector ``smpl_joints_10frame_step1`` = 10 consecutive frames x 24 SMPL
+joints x 3 (xyz) at 50 Hz.
+
+IMPORTANT - frame convention: the encoder expects each frame's joints with the
+body's *root orientation removed* (per-frame canonical), exactly like the live
+deploy stream's ``smpl_joints_local`` (see ``process_smpl_joints`` in the GEAR
+PICO teleop and ``smpl_joints_multi_future_local`` in training). The reference
+``smpl_filtered`` clips instead store **world-frame** joints (heading retained),
+so feeding them raw makes the robot move but mis-track / never face-forward.
+This loader therefore canonicalizes on load using the clip's per-frame root
+orientation (``pose_aa[:, :3]``):
+
+    A     = Rx(+90deg) * rotvec(pose_aa[:, :3])        # y-up -> z-up root quat
+    local = base120 * A^-1 * joints                    # remove root orient
+
+with ``base120 = quat(0.5,0.5,0.5,0.5)`` (SMPL base rotation). This reproduces
+the deployed transform (verified: per-frame hip-heading std -> 0).
+
+Clip is read from a numpy ``.npz``. Expected keys:
+    smpl_joints : (T, 24, 3) float32  -- world-frame joint positions, 50 fps
+    pose_aa     : (T, 72)    float32  -- SMPL axis-angle (root = [:, :3])
+    transl      : (T, 3)     float32  -- global root translation (optional)
+    fps         : scalar
+
+Example:
+    python examples/unitree_g1/motion_loader.py \
+        --motion examples/unitree_g1/motions/walk_forward.npz
+"""
+
+import argparse
+
+import numpy as np
+
+WINDOW = 10  # frames per encoder window (smpl_joints_10frame_step1)
+N_JOINTS = 24
+JOINT_DIM = 3
+SMPL_OBS_DIM = WINDOW * N_JOINTS * JOINT_DIM  # 720
+
+
+def canonicalize_smpl_joints(smpl_joints: np.ndarray, root_aa: np.ndarray) -> np.ndarray:
+    """Remove per-frame root orientation -> SONIC ``smpl_joints_local`` format.
+
+    Args:
+        smpl_joints: (T, 24, 3) world-frame (z-up) SMPL joint positions.
+        root_aa: (T, 3) SMPL global-orient axis-angle (y-up convention).
+
+    Returns:
+        (T, 24, 3) per-frame root-orientation-removed joints.
+    """
+    from scipy.spatial.transform import Rotation as R
+
+    rx90 = R.from_euler("x", 90, degrees=True)        # smpl_root_ytoz_up
+    base120 = R.from_quat([0.5, 0.5, 0.5, 0.5])       # remove_smpl_base_rot
+    a = rx90 * R.from_rotvec(root_aa)                 # z-up root quat (left-mult)
+    b_inv = base120 * a.inv()                         # inv(remove_smpl_base_rot(a))
+    return np.einsum("tij,tkj->tki", b_inv.as_matrix(), smpl_joints).astype(np.float32)
+
+
+class SmplMotion:
+    """A single SMPL clip with SONIC-format windowing."""
+
+    def __init__(self, path: str, loop: bool = True, canonicalize: bool = True):
+        data = np.load(path)
+        smpl_joints = data["smpl_joints"].astype(np.float32)  # (T, 24, 3)
+        self.pose_aa = data["pose_aa"].astype(np.float32) if "pose_aa" in data.files else None
+        self.transl = data["transl"].astype(np.float32) if "transl" in data.files else None
+        self.fps = float(data["fps"]) if "fps" in data.files else 50.0
+        self.loop = loop
+
+        if smpl_joints.ndim != 3 or smpl_joints.shape[1:] != (N_JOINTS, JOINT_DIM):
+            raise ValueError(
+                f"Expected smpl_joints (T, {N_JOINTS}, {JOINT_DIM}), got {smpl_joints.shape}"
+            )
+
+        # Reference clips store world-frame joints; the encoder wants per-frame
+        # root-orientation-removed joints. Canonicalize when we have the root pose.
+        self.canonicalized = False
+        if canonicalize and self.pose_aa is not None:
+            smpl_joints = canonicalize_smpl_joints(smpl_joints, self.pose_aa[:, :3])
+            self.canonicalized = True
+        self.smpl_joints = smpl_joints
+
+        self.num_frames = self.smpl_joints.shape[0]
+        self._cursor = 0
+
+    def window(self, start: int) -> np.ndarray:
+        """Return the 720-vector for the 10-frame window beginning at ``start``.
+
+        Frames are laid out oldest->newest, joint-major within a frame:
+        [f0_j0_xyz, f0_j1_xyz, ..., f9_j23_xyz].
+        """
+        idx = np.arange(start, start + WINDOW)
+        if self.loop:
+            idx = np.mod(idx, self.num_frames)
+        else:
+            idx = np.clip(idx, 0, self.num_frames - 1)
+        return self.smpl_joints[idx].reshape(-1).astype(np.float32)
+
+    def reset(self):
+        self._cursor = 0
+
+    def step(self) -> np.ndarray:
+        """Advance one frame and return the current 720-vector window."""
+        w = self.window(self._cursor)
+        self._cursor += 1
+        if self.loop:
+            self._cursor %= self.num_frames
+        return w
+
+    @property
+    def done(self) -> bool:
+        return (not self.loop) and (self._cursor + WINDOW >= self.num_frames)
+
+
+def main():
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
+    parser.add_argument("--motion", required=True, help="Path to motion .npz")
+    parser.add_argument("--no-loop", action="store_true")
+    parser.add_argument("--no-canon", action="store_true",
+                        help="Skip canonicalization (feed raw stored joints)")
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    m = SmplMotion(args.motion, loop=not args.no_loop, canonicalize=not args.no_canon)
+    duration = m.num_frames / m.fps
+    print(f"Loaded '{args.motion}'")
+    print(f"  frames={m.num_frames} fps={m.fps:.1f} duration={duration:.1f}s")
+    print(f"  smpl_joints={m.smpl_joints.shape} canonicalized={m.canonicalized} "
+          f"pose_aa={None if m.pose_aa is None else m.pose_aa.shape} "
+          f"transl={None if m.transl is None else m.transl.shape}")
+
+    # Sanity: after canonicalization the per-frame body heading should be fixed.
+    j = m.smpl_joints
+    v = (j[:, 2, :2] - j[:, 1, :2])  # R_hip - L_hip, horizontal
+    a = np.arctan2(v[:, 1], v[:, 0])
+    rlen = np.clip(np.hypot(np.cos(a).mean(), np.sin(a).mean()), 1e-9, 1.0)
+    circ_std = np.degrees(np.sqrt(-2 * np.log(rlen)))
+    print(f"  hip-heading circ-std={circ_std:.1f} deg "
+          f"(~0 => orientation removed; large => world-frame)")
+
+    w0 = m.window(0)
+    print(f"  window(0): shape={w0.shape} (expected {SMPL_OBS_DIM}) "
+          f"min={w0.min():.3f} max={w0.max():.3f}")
+    assert w0.shape == (SMPL_OBS_DIM,), "window must be 720-dim for obs[922:1642]"
+
+    # Simulate a few control ticks.
+    print("  stepping 5 ticks:")
+    for t in range(5):
+        w = m.step()
+        print(f"    t={t} cursor={m._cursor} window_norm={np.linalg.norm(w):.2f}")
+
+    print("OK: motion loads and yields SONIC-format 720-vec windows.")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
diff --git a/examples/unitree_g1/motions/dance_hiphop.npz b/examples/unitree_g1/motions/dance_hiphop.npz
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diff --git a/examples/unitree_g1/motions/eating_apple.npz b/examples/unitree_g1/motions/eating_apple.npz
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diff --git a/examples/unitree_g1/motions/mambo_kicks.npz b/examples/unitree_g1/motions/mambo_kicks.npz
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diff --git a/examples/unitree_g1/motions/turn_jump_270.npz b/examples/unitree_g1/motions/turn_jump_270.npz
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diff --git a/examples/unitree_g1/motions/victory_dance.npz b/examples/unitree_g1/motions/victory_dance.npz
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diff --git a/examples/unitree_g1/motions/walk_forward.npz b/examples/unitree_g1/motions/walk_forward.npz
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diff --git a/examples/unitree_g1/pkl_to_npz.py b/examples/unitree_g1/pkl_to_npz.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b7de3a69a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/examples/unitree_g1/pkl_to_npz.py
@@ -0,0 +1,88 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+# Copyright 2025 The HuggingFace Inc. team. All rights reserved.
+#
+# Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+# you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+# You may obtain a copy of the License at
+#
+#     http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+#
+# Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+# distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+# WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+# See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+# limitations under the License.
+
+"""Convert a GEAR-SONIC / BONES-SEED ``smpl_filtered`` clip (.pkl) to .npz.
+
+The reference clips are zlib-compressed joblib pickles holding a dict with
+``pose_aa`` (T, 72), ``transl`` (T, 3), ``smpl_joints`` (T, 24, 3), ``fps``.
+``motion_loader.SmplMotion`` consumes the .npz form so the runtime needs no
+joblib dependency. Canonicalization (root-orientation removal) happens at load
+time in ``motion_loader``, so this converter just repackages the raw arrays.
+
+Run this in an environment that has ``joblib`` (e.g. the sonic teleop venv):
+
+    python examples/unitree_g1/pkl_to_npz.py \
+        --pkl sample_data/smpl_filtered/walk_forward_amateur_001__A001.pkl \
+        --out examples/unitree_g1/motions/walk_forward.npz
+"""
+
+import argparse
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import numpy as np
+
+
+def load_pkl(path: str) -> dict:
+    try:
+        import joblib
+
+        return joblib.load(path)
+    except Exception:
+        # joblib clips are zlib-compressed pickles; fall back to manual inflate.
+        import pickle
+        import zlib
+
+        with open(path, "rb") as f:
+            raw = f.read()
+        try:
+            raw = zlib.decompress(raw)
+        except zlib.error:
+            pass
+        return pickle.loads(raw)
+
+
+def main():
+    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=__doc__)
+    parser.add_argument("--pkl", required=True, help="Input smpl_filtered .pkl")
+    parser.add_argument("--out", required=True, help="Output .npz path")
+    args = parser.parse_args()
+
+    d = load_pkl(args.pkl)
+    if not isinstance(d, dict) or "smpl_joints" not in d:
+        raise ValueError(f"Unexpected pkl structure; keys={list(d) if isinstance(d, dict) else type(d)}")
+
+    smpl_joints = np.asarray(d["smpl_joints"], np.float32)
+    if smpl_joints.ndim != 3 or smpl_joints.shape[1:] != (24, 3):
+        raise ValueError(f"smpl_joints must be (T,24,3), got {smpl_joints.shape}")
+
+    out = {"smpl_joints": smpl_joints, "fps": np.float32(d.get("fps", 50.0))}
+    if "pose_aa" in d:
+        out["pose_aa"] = np.asarray(d["pose_aa"], np.float32)
+    else:
+        print("[warn] no pose_aa -> loader cannot canonicalize (will feed raw)")
+    if "transl" in d:
+        out["transl"] = np.asarray(d["transl"], np.float32)
+
+    Path(args.out).parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
+    np.savez_compressed(args.out, **out)
+    dur = smpl_joints.shape[0] / float(out["fps"])
+    print(f"Wrote {args.out}")
+    print(f"  frames={smpl_joints.shape[0]} fps={float(out['fps']):.1f} duration={dur:.1f}s "
+          f"keys={sorted(out)}")
+
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()