libfranka is a C++ library that provides low-level control of Franka Robotics research robots. The generated API documentation offers an overview of its capabilities, while the Franka Control Interface (FCI) documentation provides more information on setting up the robot and utilizing its features and functionalities.

To find the appropriate version to use, please refer to the Compatibility Matrix.

• Low-level control: Access precise motion control for research robots.
• Real-time communication: Interact with the robot in real-time.

Before using libfranka, ensure your system meets the following requirements:

• Operating System: Linux with PREEMPT_RT patched kernel (Ubuntu 16.04 or later, Ubuntu 22.04 recommended)
• Compiler: GCC 7 or later
• CMake: Version 3.10 or later
• Robot: Franka Robotics robot with FCI feature installed

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y build-essential cmake git libpoco-dev libeigen3-dev libfmt-dev

To use libfranka version 0.14.0 or later, you will need to install pinocchio and some more dependencies:

sudo apt-get install -y lsb-release curl
sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL http://robotpkg.openrobots.org/packages/debian/robotpkg.asc | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/robotpkg.asc

echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/robotpkg.asc] http://robotpkg.openrobots.org/packages/debian/pub $(lsb_release -cs) robotpkg" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/robotpkg.list

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y robotpkg-pinocchio

Before building and installing from source, please uninstall existing installations of libfranka to avoid conflicts:

sudo apt-get remove "*libfranka*"

You can clone the repository and choose the version you need by selecting a specific tag:

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/frankarobotics/libfranka.git
cd libfranka

List available tags

git tag -l

Checkout a specific tag (e.g., 0.15.0)

git checkout 0.15.0

Update submodules

git submodule update

Create a build directory and navigate to it

mkdir build
cd build

Configure the project and build

cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=/opt/openrobots/lib/cmake -DBUILD_TESTS=OFF ..
make

Building a Debian package is optional but recommended for easier installation and management. In the build folder, execute:

cpack -G DEB

This command creates a Debian package named libfranka--.deb. You can then install it with:

sudo dpkg -i libfranka*.deb

Installing via a Debian package simplifies the process compared to building from source every time. Additionally the package integrates better with system tools and package managers, which can help manage updates and dependencies more effectively.

After installation, check the Minimum System and Network Requirements for network settings, the Operating System and PC Configuration for system setup, and the Getting Started Manual for initial steps. Once configured, you can control the robot using the example applications provided in the examples folder.

To run a sample program, navigate to the build folder and execute the following command:

./examples/communication_test <robot-ip>

Pylibfranka is a Python binding for libfranka, allowing you to control Franka robots using Python. It is included in the libfranka repository and can be built alongside libfranka. For more details, see pylibfranka and its README. The generated API documentation offers an overview of its capabilities.

If you actively contribute to this repository, you should install and set up pre-commit hooks:

pip install pre-commit
pre-commit install

This will install pre-commit and set up the git hooks to automatically run checks before each commit. The hooks will help maintain code quality by running various checks like code formatting, linting, and other validations.

To manually run the pre-commit checks on all files:

pre-commit run --all-files

This will build the C++ extension and install the Python package.

libfranka is licensed under the Apache 2.0 license.