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 the Python package

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

python3.x -m pip install numpy spdlog flexivrdk

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

Use the installed Python package

After the flexivrdk 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 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

Install compiler kit using package manager:
```
sudo apt install build-essential
```
Install CMake using package manager:
```
sudo apt install cmake
```
macOS

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.
Install CMake using package manager:
```
brew install cmake
```
Windows

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
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.
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 the C++ library

The following steps are identical on all supported platforms.

Choose a directory for installing the C++ library of RDK and 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.
In a new Terminal, run the provided script to compile and install all dependencies to the installation directory chosen in step 1:
```
cd flexiv_rdk/thirdparty
bash build_and_install_dependencies.sh ~/rdk_install
```
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.
Install flexiv_rdk C++ library to CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX path, which may or may not be globally discoverable by CMake depending on the location:
```
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

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