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 18/20/22 tested)	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.

Compile and install for Linux

1. In a new Terminal, use cmake-gui to configure the top-level flexiv_rdk CMake project:

    cd flexiv_rdk
    mkdir build && cd build
    cmake-gui .. &
   

2. Configure with default native compiler settings.

3. Set CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX to a dedicated directory (preferably not a system path) for the flexiv_rdk library to be installed to. For example ~/rdk_install.

4. Configure and Generate, then back to the Terminal to compile and install:

    cd flexiv_rdk/build
    make install
   

5. The user project can now find and link to the installed flexiv_rdk library:

    cd flexiv_rdk/example
    mkdir build && cd build
    cmake .. -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=~/rdk_install
    make -j4
   

   Note: CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX is set to the same directory where flexiv_rdk was installed to.

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.

Compile and install for Mac

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 3.4.
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 mentioned in Compile and install for Linux.

Compile and install for Windows

1. Install any edition of Microsoft Visual Studio with version 2010 or above. 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 3.4. Add CMake to system PATH when prompted, so that cmake and cmake-gui command can be used from Command Prompt or PowerShell.

3. Configure the flexiv_rdk CMake project using the same steps mentioned in Compile and install for Linux.

4. Instead of make install, use cmake to compile and install it:

    cmake --build . --target INSTALL --config Release
   

5. Configure the user project (RDK example programs) using the same steps mentioned in Compile and install for Linux.

6. Instead of make, use cmake to compile it:

    cmake --build . --config Release
   

7. To run an compiled example program:

    cd Release
    <program_name>.exe [robot_ip] [local_ip] [...]
   

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] [...]