Tactum Labs: Real-World Data Collection Infrastructure
for Physical AI Systems

Tactum Labs · Bangalore, India · founders@tactumlabs.com
March 2026
Keywords: Physical AI · Data Collection · Human Demonstrations · Design Partner · Real-World Environments
Abstract
Tactum Labs collects real-world human demonstration data for physical AI systems: robotics, humanoids, world models, and autonomous machines. We work directly with your research team to understand where your model fails in the physical world, then design and run a custom data collection campaign to fix it, using trained human operators performing real tasks in real environments. We are not a labeling platform or a self-serve marketplace. We are an embedded operational partner. You tell us what physical-world signal your model needs. We go get it.

1. The Problem

Physical AI systems need structured demonstrations of humans performing tasks in the real, physical world. Robots that manipulate objects[1], humanoids that navigate homes, world models that understand 3D space[2], autonomous machines that operate in unstructured environments. They all need the same thing. This data does not exist on the internet. It has to be deliberately collected.

Most labs collect this data internally with small teams. Five to twenty operators in a single lab, a single city, a narrow slice of the physical world. The model's failure modes are a map of its training data's blind spots. Same lighting, same objects, same environments.

Tactum Labs exists to solve this. We are an embedded data collection partner for physical AI teams. You define the signal your model needs from the physical world. We handle everything else.

2. How We Work

  1. Scope. We talk to your research team. Where does the model fail? What data would fix it? We produce a spec.
  2. Design. We turn the spec into a collection protocol. Task instructions, environment requirements, quality criteria, delivery format.
  3. Collect. We deploy trained operators to perform the tasks in real physical environments. You get the first batch within days, not months.
  4. Deliver. Structured, quality-validated data in your pipeline's format. RLDS, HDF5, or whatever you need.

Every engagement starts as a pilot. No long contracts. No commitments until we've proven the data improves your model.

3. What We Collect

  • Human demonstrations of physical tasks
  • Teleoperation and remote operation data
  • Egocentric video from diverse environments
  • 3D scanning and spatial capture
  • Edge-case and failure-mode-targeted collection
  • Custom protocols designed around your model's specific needs

We don't have a fixed menu. Every collection campaign is designed around your model's requirements.

4. Why Us

Built by operators who have recruited, trained, and managed thousands of people performing structured physical tasks across hundreds of cities. We have built the internal systems for this: operator training, real-time quality monitoring, and data pipeline management.

We optimize for three things: fidelity to your spec, diversity across physical environments, and speed. First delivery in days, not quarters.