Flexiv RDK

Flexiv RDK (Robotic Development Kit), a key component of the Flexiv Robotic Software Platform, is a powerful development toolkit that enables the users to create complex and customized robotic applications using APIs that provide both low-level real-time (RT) and high-level non-real-time (NRT) access to Flexiv robots.

References

Flexiv RDK Home Page is the main reference. It contains important information including user manual and API documentation. The instructions below serve as a quick reference, and you can find the full documentation at Flexiv RDK Manual.

Environment Compatibility

OS	Platform	C++ compiler kit	Python interpreter
Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+)	x86_64, arm64	GCC v9.4+	3.8, 3.10, 3.12
macOS 12+	arm64	Clang v14.0+	3.10, 3.12
Windows 10+	x86_64	MSVC v14.2+	3.8, 3.10, 3.12

IMPORTANT: You might need to turn off your computer's firewall or whitelist the RDK programs to be able to establish connection with the robot.

Quick Start - Python

Install RDK Python library

For all supported platforms, the RDK Python library and its dependencies for a specific version of Python can be installed using its pip module:

python3.x -m pip install numpy spdlog flexivrdk

Replace 3.x with a specific Python version.

Use the installed Python library

After the library is installed as flexivrdk Python package, it can be imported from any Python script. Test with the following commands in a new Terminal, which should start Flexiv RDK:

python3.x
import flexivrdk
robot = flexivrdk.Robot("Rizon4-123456")

The program will start searching for a robot with serial number Rizon4-123456, and will exit after a couple of seconds if the specified robot is not found in the local network.

Run example Python scripts

To run an example Python script in this repo:

cd flexiv_rdk/example_py
python3.x <example_name>.py [robot_serial_number]

For example:

python3.10 ./basics1_display_robot_states.py Rizon4-123456

Quick Start - C++

Prepare build tools

Linux

1. Install compiler kit using package manager:

   sudo apt install build-essential
   

2. Install CMake using package manager:

   sudo apt install cmake
   

macOS

1. Install compiler kit using xcode tool:

   xcode-select 
   

   This will invoke the installation of Xcode Command Line Tools, then follow the prompted window to finish the installation.

2. Install CMake using package manager:

   brew install cmake
   

Windows

1. Install compiler kit: Download and install Microsoft Visual Studio 2019 (MSVC v14.2) or above. Choose "Desktop development with C++" under the Workloads tab during installation. You only need to keep the following components for the selected workload:
   • MSVC ... C++ x64/x86 build tools (Latest)
   • C++ CMake tools for Windows
   • Windows 10 SDK or Windows 11 SDK, depending on your actual Windows version
2. Install CMake: Download cmake-3.x.x-windows-x86_64.msi from CMake download page and install the msi file. The minimum required version is 3.16.3. Add CMake to system PATH when prompted, so that cmake and cmake-gui command can be used from Command Prompt or a bash emulator.
3. Install bash emulator: Download and install Git for Windows, which comes with a bash emulator Git Bash. The following steps are to be carried out in this bash emulator.

Install RDK C++ library

The following steps are identical on all supported platforms.

1. Choose a directory for installing RDK C++ library and all its dependencies. This directory can be under system path or not, depending on whether you want RDK to be globally discoverable by CMake. For example, a new folder named rdk_install under the home directory.

2. In a new Terminal, run the provided script to compile and install all C++ dependencies to the installation directory chosen in step 1:

   cd flexiv_rdk/thirdparty
   bash build_and_install_dependencies.sh ~/rdk_install
   

3. In a new Terminal, configure the flexiv_rdk CMake project:

   cd flexiv_rdk
   mkdir build && cd build
   cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=~/rdk_install
   

   NOTE: -D followed by CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX sets the absolute path of the installation directory, which should be the one chosen in step 1.

4. Install flexiv_rdk C++ library to CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX path, which may or may not be globally discoverable by CMake:

   cd flexiv_rdk/build
   cmake --build . --target install --config Release
   

Use the installed C++ library

After the library is installed as flexiv_rdk CMake target, it can be linked from any other CMake projects. Using the provided flexiv_rdk-examples project for instance:

cd flexiv_rdk/example
mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=~/rdk_install
cmake --build . --config Release -j 4

NOTE: -D followed by CMAKE_PREFIX_PATH tells the user project's CMake where to find the installed C++ library. This argument can be skipped if the RDK library and its dependencies are installed to a globally discoverable location.

Run example C++ programs

To run an example C++ program compiled during the previous step:

cd flexiv_rdk/example/build
./<example_name> [robot_serial_number]

For example:

./basics1_display_robot_states Rizon4-123456

NOTE: sudo is only required if the real-time scheduler API flexiv::rdk::Scheduler is used in the program.

API Documentation

The complete and detailed API documentation of the latest release can be found at https://www.flexiv.com/software/rdk/api. The API documentation of a previous release can be generated manually using Doxygen. For example, on Linux:

sudo apt install doxygen-latex graphviz
cd flexiv_rdk
git checkout <previous_release_tag>
doxygen doc/Doxyfile.in

The generated API documentation is under flexiv_rdk/doc/html/ directory. Open any html file with your browser to view it.