Franka Robotics unveils MATLAB toolbox to bridge theory, application in robotics research

Franka Robotics recently announced the release of its Franka MATLAB Toolbox, an interface designed to integrate theory and application in robotics research.

This toolbox provides researchers with all necessary control options and signals from the Franka Research 3 robot, and offers a comprehensive set of features, including MATLAB scripts, Simulink blocks and advanced demos.

Direct integration, connections

Researchers can use the integration provided by the Franka MATLAB Toolbox to connect Franka robots to MATLAB and Simulink, the programming suite and graphical block-diagram environment for Model-Based Design by MathWorks. This integration streamlines the development process, enabling researchers to bring their ideas to life with ease.

By establishing a direct connection to the robot and closing the real-time loop at 1 kHz via Franka Control Interface (FCI), researchers can develop control algorithms across various modalities, visualize data and streamline the debugging and prototyping process. This real-time connectivity enhances the efficiency and effectiveness of robotics research, empowering researchers to progress at a faster pace, according to Franka Robotics.

"At Franka Robotics, our mission is to develop technology that empowers big-thinkers and disruptors to deliver on the promise of robotics and AI to build a better future,” said Sven Parusel, SVP academia & research at Franka Robotics. “This is why we aim to provide researchers with the best robotics platform. In this, Franka MATLAB Toolbox represents the integration of cutting-edge robotic hardware with the power and versatility of MATLAB and Simulink"

The Franka MATLAB Toolbox also facilitates real-time data visualization, allowing researchers to display, acquire and record data such as force, position or angles. Utilizing MATLAB plotting functions and other Simulink features, researchers can gain valuable insights into the performance of their algorithms in real-time.

“Combining AI, perception, control and simulation for robotics applications through the integration of MATLAB, Simulink and Franka’s leading robot hardware will deliver significant value to robotics engineers and researchers,” said YJ Lim, MathWorks product marketing manager for robotics and autonomous systems. “As a company that strives to accelerate the pace of robotics engineering, we were happy to collaborate with Franka Robotics.”