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.

Compatibility Overview

Supported OS	Supported processor	Supported language	Required compiler kit
Linux (Ubuntu 20.04/22.04)	x86_64, arm64	C++, Python	build-essential
macOS 12 (Monterey)	arm64	C++, Python	Xcode Command Line Tools
Windows 10	x86_64	C++, Python	MSVC 14.0+

Quick Start

NOTE: the full documentation is in Flexiv RDK Manual.

C++ RDK

The C++ interface of Flexiv RDK is packed into a unified modern CMake library named flexiv_rdk, which can be configured via CMake on all supported OS.

NOTE: if you will only be using Python RDK, you can skip this section and jump to Python RDK.

Compile and install for Linux

1. In a new Terminal, install C++ compiler, Git, and CMake (with GUI) using the package manager:

    sudo apt install build-essential git cmake cmake-qt-gui -y
   

2. Choose a directory for installing flexiv_rdk library and all its dependencies. For example, a new folder named rdk_install under the home directory.

3. In a new Terminal, use CMake to configure flexiv_rdk:

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

   NOTE: -D followed by CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX is a CMake parameter specifying the path of the chosen installation directory. Alternatively, this configuration step can also be done through CMake GUI.

4. Compile and install flexiv_rdk library:

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

   NOTE: the installation of flexiv_rdk library is complete now. The following steps show how to link to the installed library from a user project.

5. To find and link to the installed flexiv_rdk library from a user project, using the provided example project for instance:

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

   NOTE: -D followed by CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX tells user project's CMake where to find the installed flexiv_rdk library.

6. Assuming the system setup detailed in the Flexiv RDK Manual is done, to run an compiled example program:

    ./<program_name> [robot_ip] [local_ip] [...]
   

   Note: sudo is not required unless prompted by the program saying "root privilege is required".

Compile and install for macOS

1. In a Terminal, use xcode-select command to invoke the installation of Xcode Command Line Tools, then follow the prompted window to finish the installation.
2. Download cmake-3.x.x-macos-universal.dmg from CMake download page and install the dmg file. The minimum required version is 3.16.3.
3. When done, start CMake from Launchpad and navigate to Tools -> How to Install For Command Line Use. Then follow the instruction "Or, to install symlinks to '/usr/local/bin', run:" to install cmake and cmake-gui command for use in Terminal.
4. The rest steps are the same as Compile and install for Linux, beginning from step 2.

Compile and install for Windows

1. Install Microsoft Visual Studio with version 2015 or above (MSVC 14.0+). Choose the "Desktop development with C++" package during installation.
2. 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 a bash emulator. Git Bash that comes with Git (for Windows) installation is recommended.
4. Within the bash emulator, the rest steps are the same as Compile and install for Linux, beginning from step 2.

Python RDK

Python 3.8 and 3.10 are supported by RDK, see Flexiv RDK Manual for more details. A brief instruction is provided below and applies to all supported OS.

1. Check Python version is 3.8.x or 3.10.x:

    python3 --version
   

2. Assume the system setup detailed in Flexiv RDK Manual is done, to run an example Python program:

    cd flexiv_rdk/example_py
    python3 <program_name>.py [robot_ip] [local_ip] [...]