libfranka: C++ Library for Franka Robotics Research Robots

libfranka is a C++ library that provides low-level control of Franka Robotics research robots. The API References 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 Robot System Version Compatibility.

Key Features

• Low-level control: Access precise motion control for research robots.
• Real-time communication: Interact with the robot in real-time.
• Multi-platform support: Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04, and 24.04 LTS

1. System Requirements

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

Operating System:

• Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa)
• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Jammy Jellyfish)
• Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat)
• Linux with PREEMPT_RT patched kernel recommended for real-time control

Build Tools (for building from source):

• GCC 9 or later
• CMake 3.22 or later
• Git

Hardware:

• Franka Robotics robot with FCI feature installed
• Network connection to robot (1000BASE-T Ethernet recommended)

::: {#installation-debian-package} 2. Installation from Debian Package (Recommended) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ :::

The easiest way to install libfranka is by using the pre-built Debian packages published on GitHub.

Supported Platforms

Ubuntu Version Codename Architecture Status ———————- ————– ————– ——————– 20.04 LTS focal amd64 Supported

22.04 LTS jammy amd64 Supported

24.04 LTS noble amd64 Supported ————————————————————————-

Quick Install

substitute [<libfranka_version>]{.title-ref} with the desired version number (e.g., [0.19.0]{.title-ref}). And substitute [<ubuntu_codename>]{.title-ref} with your Ubuntu codename (e.g., [focal]{.title-ref}, [jammy]{.title-ref}, [noble]{.title-ref}). you can find it by running [lsb_release -cs]{.title-ref}.

# Download package
wget https://github.com/frankarobotics/libfranka/releases/download/<libfranka_version>/libfranka_<libfranka_version>_<ubuntu_codename>_amd64.deb

# Download checksum
wget https://github.com/frankarobotics/libfranka/releases/download/<libfranka_version>/libfranka_<libfranka_version>_<ubuntu_codename>_amd64.deb.sha256

# Verify package integrity
sha256sum -c libfranka_<libfranka_version>_<ubuntu_codename>_amd64.deb.sha256

# Install package
sudo dpkg -i libfranka_<libfranka_version>_<ubuntu_codename>_amd64.deb

Example

The following example installs libfranka 0.19.0 on Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy):

``` bash wget https://github.com/frankarobotics/libfranka/releases/download/0.19.0/libfranka_0.19.0_jammy_amd64.deb wget https://github.com/frankarobotics/libfranka/releases/download/0.19.0/libfranka_0.19.0_jammy_amd64.deb.sha256 sha256sum -c libfranka_0.19.0_jammy_amd64.deb.sha256 sudo dpkg -i libfranka_0.19.0_jammy_amd64.deb

File truncated at 100 lines see the full file

CHANGELOG

All notable changes to libfranka in this file.

[0.19.0]

libfranka - C++

Changed

• To support franka_ros2, we added an option for the async position control to base the getFeedback function on a robot state received via franka_hardware instead of querying the robot directly.
• Format libfranka debian package to inlclude ubuntu code name and arch: libfranka_VERSION_CODENAME_ARCH.deb
• Added build containers to support Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04

[0.18.2]

Requires Franka Research 3 System Version >= 5.9.0

libfranka - C++

Documentation

• Enhanced documentation with expanded installation methods, and reorganized getting started guide

Added

• upload debian packages automatically to releases

Fixed

• Fixed a compile issue with TinyXML2 dependency (see github)

pylibfranka - Python

Added

• Added Joint and Cartesian Velocity controller examples.

[0.18.1]

Requires Franka Research 3 System Version >= 5.9.0

libfranka - C++

Changed

• The libfranka library is built with static links - removing the need for dynamic dependencies at runtime
• Fix the acceleration link addition bug and robot model link parsing github
• Update the test urdf with the acceleration links and joint

pylibfranka - Python

Added

• Added API documentation section to the official docs: API References

[0.18.0]

Requires Franka Research 3 System Version >= 5.9.0

libfranka - C++

Added

• Forward kinematics computation using Pinocchio library
• Jacobian computation using Pinocchio library
• Accelerometer data exposed in robot state
• Joint position-based velocity limits parsed from URDF to compute upper and lower velocity bounds
• Documentation under libfranka repository
• Feat: Async Position Control Handler added to libfranka to support asynchronous position control (Experimental and subject to change)

Changed

• Updated libfranka-common (common-libfranka) to use float-based RobotState struct
• Upgraded Pinocchio dependency to version 3.4.0
• Upgraded minimum Clang version from 6 to 14
• Removed dynamic library loading from Model constructor

Fixed

• Corrected elbow limit rating which was using incorrect values

Deprecated

• Marked franka::computeUpperLimitsJointVelocity(const std::array<double, 7UL> &q) and franka::computeLowerLimitsJointVelocity(const std::array<double, 7UL> &q)as deprecated. It will be removed in future versions. Use Robot::getUpperJointVelocityLimits(const std::array<double, 7UL> &joint_positions) and Robot::getLowerJointVelocityLimits(const std::array<double, 7UL> &joint_positions) instead.
• With system image >= 5.9.0, the joint position limits of the system with libfranka are increased to match the datasheet. The methods franka::computeUpperLimitsJointVelocity(const std::array<double, 7UL> &q) and franka::computeLowerLimitsJointVelocity(const std::array<double, 7UL> &q) now impose stricter constraints compared to the new parametrized limits.

pylibfranka - Python

• Deployment of the pylibfranka to the github hosted web-page
• Pylibfranka and libfranka versions are synchronized

[0.17.0] - 2025-10-15

pylibfranka - Python

Added

• Cartesian pose control interface

0.16.1 - 2025-10-10

• Fix: fix cmake and package versioning

0.16.0 - 2025-09-15

• Feat: Added pylibfranka - a python binding for libfranka

0.15.3 - 2025-07-31

• Fix outdated Emika links

0.15.2 - 2025-07-24

• Optimize robot model computation

0.15.1 - 2025-06-23

• docs starts a new docs build

0.15.0 - 2025-01-16

Requires Franka Research 3 System Version >= 5.7.2

File truncated at 100 lines see the full file