libromocc

libromocc is a lightweight C++ library for robot modelling, control and communication. It also contains Python wrappers with a corresponding PyPI distribution.

Core features

• Lightweight inferface: Simple control of robots from Universal Robots.
• Robot modelling: Forward and inverse kinematics, Jacobians, etc.
• Support for old client interfaces: Supports the real-time interfaces of Universal Robots, but not the new RTDE interface.
• Python wrappers: Python wrappers for core functionality.

Getting started with Python

Pre-built packages are available for Linux and Windows on PyPI. Supports Ubuntu 20.04, 22.04 and Windows 10+(64-bit). To install the current release:

pip install pyromocc

Once installed, the following shows a simple sample of use:

from pyromocc import Robot

# Connect to robot
robot = Robot(ip="192.168.153.131", port=30003, manipulator="UR5")
robot.connect()

# Print current operational configuration
print(robot.operational_config)

# Move 50 mm upwards
robot.z += 50

# Print current operational configuration
print(robot.operational_config)

Setup and build

For building libromocc, you need to have CMake installed.

git clone https://github.com/SINTEFMedtek/libromocc.git
cd libromocc
mkdir build
cd build

Ubuntu

cmake ..
make -j 4

Windows

cmake .. -G "Visual Studio 16 2019" -A x64 # Change generator string to reflect your VS version
cmake --build . --config Release -j 4

Visual studio

Update the paths to the source code and the build directory as needed:

• Source: <path_to>/libromocc/source
• Build: <path_to>/libromocc/build

Click Configure and select the Visual Studio version you would like to use to compile the libraries.

Update the configuration as needed e.g., build tests, examples, Python bindings, etc. Remember to click Configure to update the configuration, and update the paths of the different variables as needed (see Building the Python bindings underneath).

When ready, click Generate to create the Visual Studio solution files. Once done click on Open Project.

On Visual Studio, change the solution configuration to Release and build the solution (Build > Build solution).

Once compiled, using again CMake GUI, check that the installation path is correct i.e., modify CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX as needed.

Open the project on Visual Studio again, and compile ALL_BUILD and the INSTALL solutions. Notice that to compile the INSTALL solution, you should be running Visual Studio as admin.

Add the library to the PATH environment variable by adding the path to the bin folder in the installation directory e.g., %CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX%/romocc/libromocc/bin

Building the Python bindings

When configuring the project using CMake, check the option ROMOCC_BUILD_PYTHON_BINDINGS, and click Configure to update the configuration of the project.

Update the paths to the Python interpreter and debugger as needed. Build the project as described above.

The python wheels can be found in: %CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX%/romocc/pyromocc

Using cmake from the terminal

Take a look at https://gnuwin32.sourceforge.net/packages/make.htm to generate the Visual Studio solution files.

git clone https://github.com/SINTEFMedtek/libromocc.git
cd libromocc
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
# Open the project on Visual Studio
Start-Process .\ALL_BUILD.vcxproj

Usage

If you use libromocc in your research and would like to cite the library, we suggest you cite the following conference paper:

@InProceedings{ostvik2019echobot,
  author    = {Andreas {\O}stvik and Lars Eirik B{\o} and Erik Smistad},
  title     = {{EchoBot}: An open-source robotic ultrasound system},
  booktitle = IPCAI,
  year      = {2019},
}

DISCLAIMER: libromocc is researchware and is provided "as-is". The contributors make no other warranties, express or implied, and hereby disclaims all implied warranties for use and further development. The code is free to download and use under a BSD-2 licence. See included licence for more information.

The code base is currently undergoing large changes, thus there is no guarantee that internal interfaces will be stable.

Contributors

libromocc is developed at SINTEF Digital, and the work has been partially funded by the Research Council of Norway under grant number 270941.