CHANGELOG

CHANGELOG

All notable changes to libfranka and pylibfranka will be documented in this file.

[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  • Fix outdated Emika links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

  • Improved error minimization for joint/cartesian pose velocities and accelerations.

  • Updated joint position and cartesian pose examples to start from the initial q or O_T_EE.

  • Fixed joint position and cartesian pose low-pass filters to use the same command in the first package.

  • Added a general logger, allowing users to implement custom loggers for receiving log messages.

  • Fixed the bug that prevented exit in case of network connection interruption.

Important

  • The flags fci_joint_motion_generator_position_limits_violation_flag and fci_cartesian_motion_generator_joint_position_limits_violation_flag are now always set to false and will be deprecated in future releases. They will be replaced by joint_position_limits_violation.

BREAKING

  • The previous CSV robot state logger has been renamed to robot_state_logger and relocated.

0.14.1 - 2024-09-06

  • Added doxygen generation

0.14.0 - 2024-03-26

Requires Franka Research 3 system version >= 5.7.0

  • Compute dynamic robot parameters with Pinocchio library.

0.13.5 - 2024-09-06

  • Updated doxygen generation

0.13.4 - 2024-09-05

Requires Franka Research 3 system version >= 5.5.0

  • Added package.xml for ros humble release

0.13.3 - 2024-01-18

Requires Franka Research 3 system version >= 5.5.0

  • Bump libfranka-common version compatible with 5.5.0

  • Delete the temporary-workaround max-path-pose deviation. Fixed in the system image.

0.13.2 - 2023-12-04

  • Hotfix: (temporary-workaround) for max-path-pose-deviation in ExternalMode for active control.

0.13.1 - 2023-11-30

  • Hotfix: (temporary-workaround) for max-path-pose-deviation in ExternalMode for callback based control.

0.13.0 - 2023-11-16

  • Add abstract ActiveControlBase class for the ActiveControllers to implement.

  • BREAKING Fix function naming errors in robot class.

  • BREAKING ActiveController initializer functions return ActiveControlBase

0.12.1 - 2023-09-20

  • Fix install common/include typo

0.12.0 - 2023-09-14

Requires Franka Research 3 system version >= 5.2.0

  • BREAKING ActiveControl serves now as base class for ActiveTorqueControl, that implements the torque control functionality

  • ActiveMotionGenerator class introduced to support external control loops for JointPositions, JointVelocities, CartesianPose and CartesianVelocities

0.11.0 - 2023-08-16

Requires Franka Research 3 system version >= 5.2.0

  • BREAKING Instead of using constants, velocity limits in rate-limiter are computed based on the current desired joint position.

  • Allow external control loops by the introduction of the ActiveControl read-write-interface for torque-control

0.10.0 - 2022-09-02

Requires Franka Research 3 system version >= 5.2.0

  • BREAKING Remove getVirtualWall and setFilters commands

  • BREAKING Disable rate-limiter by default

  • BREAKING Adapt rate limiting values in rate_limiting.h for FR3 robot

0.9.2 - 2022-08-31

Requires Panda system version >= 4.2.1

  • Revert usage of set_version_from_git in CMakeLists.txt, using hardcoded values instead

0.9.1 - 2022-08-26

Requires Panda system version >= 4.2.1

  • Use orthonormalized rotations in cartesianLowpassFilter, limitRate and cartesian_impedance_control example

  • Support building libfranka from outside the library, so the debian package name can be set externally.

  • Check if GitHub remote is always in sync

  • Bug fixes in rate_limiting_tests.cpp

  • Make column names in logToCSV unique, separated them by state & cmd

  • Improve error messages including current RobotMode information

0.9.0 - 2022-03-25

Requires Panda system version >= 4.2.1

  • BREAKING Add O_ddP_O base acceleration to robot state, hardcoded to {0, 0, -9.81}.

  • BREAKING New base_acceleration_initialization_timeout, base_acceleration_invalid_reading cartesian_spline_motion_generator_violation and joint_via_motion_generator_planning_joint_limit_violation reflexes.

  • Adjust network error messages. Distinguish between problems resulting from:

    • a wrong network configuration. A message is shown after a timeout of 60 seconds.

    • a missing FCI feature or a blocked port due to Single Point of Control. An immediate error response is shown.

  • Changed signature of franka::Model::gravity to use O_ddP_O in the robot state.

0.8.0 - 2020-04-29

Requires Panda system version >= 4.0.0

  • BREAKING Change behavior of franka::Robot::setEE. Previously, this method would set the flange-to-end-effector transformation F_T_EE. This has been split up into two transformations: F_T_NE, only settable in Desk, and NE_T_EE, which can be set in libfranka with setEE and defaults to the identity transformation.

  • Add F_T_NE and NE_T_EE to franka::RobotState.

  • Add support for the cobot pump with franka::VacuumGripper.

  • CPack: Add conflict with ros-melodic-libfranka.

  • Fix missing include for Windows (#55).

0.7.1 - 2019-07-08

Requires Panda system version >= 3.0.0

Changed

  • Fix compilation error on ARM.

0.7.0 - 2019-07-05

Requires Panda system version >= 3.0.0

Added

  • Add support for using franka::Model on Linux ARM and ARM64 (requires Panda system version >= 3.1.0).

  • Add Cartesian low-pass filter in lowpass_filter.h.

  • Add control_tools.h with helper functions for writing control loops.

Changed

  • BREAKING Rename franka::CartesianPose::hasValidElbow() to franka::CartesianPose::hasElbow().

  • BREAKING Throw std::invalid_argument in franka::Robot::control if NaN or infinity values are returned from a control callback.

  • BREAKING Throw std::invalid_argument in low-pass filter and rate limiting functions if invalid values are given as function parameters.

  • BREAKING Do not throw exceptions in constructors of control types anymore.

  • Take arguments by value in franka::MotionFinished.

  • Bug fixes in communication_test.cpp.

  • Export requirements for C++ features as CMake target compile features.

0.6.0 - 2019-02-06

Requires Panda system version >= 3.0.0

  • Added support for Ubuntu 18.04 (Bionic).

  • EXPERIMENTAL Added support for Windows.

  • Added support for using franka::Model on Linux and Windows x86 and x64.

  • Bugfix for aborting gripper commands with franka::Gripper::stop().

  • Improved documentation for franka::Robot::setCollisionBehavior.

0.5.0 - 2018-08-08

Requires Panda system version >= 1.3.0

Motion and control interfaces

  • BREAKING Added low-pass filter for all realtime interfaces with default cutoff frequency of 100 Hz

  • DEPRECATED franka::Robot::setFilters in favor of franka::lowpassFilter

  • Fixed description of log record entries

Library

  • Added lowpass_filter.h to public interface

Examples

  • Added communication_test.cpp to evaluate network performance.

0.4.0 - 2018-06-21

Requires Panda system version >= 1.3.0

Motion and control interfaces

  • BREAKING Added rate limiting of commanded values as an option in the control loop and as a helper function. Rate limiting is activated by default, this could change the behavior of existing programs. Only works when filters (franka::Robot::setFilters) are deactivated.

  • Added joint_move_in_wrong_direction error to franka::RobotState

  • Added first and second derivatives of last commanded signals to franka::RobotState

Library

  • Added rate_limiting.h to public interface

  • Removed unnecessary CMake script from installation

0.3.0 - 2018-02-22

Requires Panda system version >= 1.2.0

Motion and control interfaces

  • Added optional epsilon parameters to franka::Gripper::grasp

Examples

  • Set default collision behavior, impedances, and filter frequencies

  • Removed command line parameters to simplify usage

  • Fixed locking bug in joint_impedance_control

Library

  • BREAKING Changed signatures and added overloads in franka::Model

  • Added additional variables to installed CMake config

  • Updated SOVERSION to include minor version number

  • Added conflict with ros-kinetic-libfranka to Debian packaging

  • Minor fixes and improvements for API documentation

  • Fixed build errors on Clang 5.0

  • Fixed test errors for Poco >= 1.8.0

0.2.0 - 2018-01-29

Requires Panda system version >= 1.1.0

Motion and control interfaces

  • Improved external torque tracking behavior.

  • Fixed discontinuities in commanding orientation changes via the cartesian pose interface.

  • Added joint_p2p_insufficient_torque_for_planning, tau_j_range_violation, and instability_detected errors to franka::RobotState

  • Added tau_J_d, m_ee, F_x_Cee, I_ee, m_total, F_x_Ctotal, I_total, theta and dtheta to franka::RobotState

  • Added setFilter command to franka::Robot

  • Added support for commanding elbow positions for Cartesian motions.

  • Added stiffness frame K to franka::Model

  • BREAKING Replaced p_min and p_max of franka::VirtualWallCuboid with object_world_size

Error handling

  • WARNING Not all robot errors can be recovered using the guiding button on the robot anymore. To manually recover from such errors, please use the Franka DESK web interface.

  • Added logs to ControlException and improved exception messages.

  • Fail earlier (by throwing exception) if any of the commanded values are NaN or infinity.

Examples

  • Added saturation to joint velocity, joint position, and joint impedance examples.

  • Changed examples to read initial states inside control loops (after controller switching).

  • Examples first move to an initial joint position.

  • Added new cartesian impedance and force control examples.

  • Lowered grasping force in grasp_object example

Library

  • BREAKING New build-time dependency on Eigen3.

  • Changed thread priority to the maximum allowed value.

  • Prepare for the removal of the socket-init in the default constructor in POCO releases >= 1.8.0.

  • Removed unnecessary public dependencies for libfranka.

  • CI: Run linter on examples

  • Docu: Use SVG instead of MathML for math rendering in API documentation to support Chrome.

0.1.0 - 2017-09-15

  • Initial release