Flexiv DRDK

Flexiv DRDK (Dual Robot Development Kit) is built on top of Flexiv RDK, with additional features tailored for a dual robot setup like simultaneous commanding, self-collision avoidance, bimanual primitives, etc.

Environment Compatibility

OS	Platform	C++ compiler kit	Python interpreter
Linux (Ubuntu 22.04+)	x86_64, aarch64	GCC v11.4+	3.10, 3.12, 3.14

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

Quick Start - Python

Install the Python package

On all supported platforms, the Python package of DRDK and its dependencies for a specific Python version can be installed using the pip module:

python3.x -m pip install numpy flexivdrdk

NOTE: replace 3.x with a specific Python version.

NOTE: the matching version of the flexivrdk package is installed as a dependency of flexivdrdk. Do not install a different version of flexivrdk into the same Python environment: DRDK uses the flexivrdk types (Mode, RobotStates, etc.) and only works with the exact version it is built against.

Use the installed Python package

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

python3.x
import flexivdrdk
robot_pair = flexivdrdk.RobotPair(["Rizon4-100001", "Rizon4-100002"])

The program will start searching for a pair of robots with serial numbers Rizon4-100001 for the left robot and Rizon4-100002 for the right robot, then exit after a couple of seconds if either of the specified robots is not found in the local network.

Run example Python scripts

To run an example Python script in this repo:

cd flexiv_drdk/example_py
python3.x <example_name>.py [left_robot_sn] [right_robot_sn]

For example:

python3.10 ./basics1_display_robot_states.py Rizon4-100001 Rizon4-100002

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
   

Install the C++ library

The following steps are identical on all supported platforms.

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

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

   cd flexiv_drdk/thirdparty
   bash build_and_install_dependencies.sh ~/drdk_install
   

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

   cd flexiv_drdk
   mkdir build && cd build
   cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=~/drdk_install -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=~/drdk_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_drdk C++ library to CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX path, which may or may not be globally discoverable by CMake depending on the location:

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

Use the installed C++ library

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

cd flexiv_drdk/example
mkdir build && cd build
cmake .. -DCMAKE_PREFIX_PATH=~/drdk_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 DRDK 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_drdk/example/build
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=~/drdk_install/lib ./<example_name> [left_robot_sn] [right_robot_sn]

For example:

LD_LIBRARY_PATH=~/drdk_install/lib ./basics1_display_robot_states Rizon4-100001 Rizon4-100002

API Documentation

The API documentation can be generated using Doxygen. For example, on Linux:

sudo apt install doxygen-latex graphviz
cd flexiv_drdk
doxygen doc/Doxyfile.in

Open any html file under flexiv_drdk/doc/html/ with your browser to view the doc.