Franka Toolbox for MATLAB changelog

2.0.0 (20-11-2024)

• BREAKING libfranka pre-built binaries now are contained in the project. No separate installation is required.

• BREAKING New Simulink Model Blocks replacing the old single Model Block.

• BREAKING Installation workflow and Simulink build system modification for supporting deployment to the Franka AI Companion.

• BREAKING Toolbox renaming: Franka Toolbox for MATLAB. Scripts also now follow the shorter convention: franka_toolbox_<>.m

• Cartesian impedance control example now includes UI elements as improved demo and better testing of the External Mode.

• Dropping experimental support for native deployment in Windows host machines

• Switch port matlab function for targeting custom docker images in AI Companion.

1.0.0 (11-03-2024)

• BREAKING Robot Settings standardization with Matlab OOP.

• BREAKING Adding the option to set the rate limiter and the cutoff frequency in the apply control simulink block.

• BREAKING Removing the get initial robot state block from the simulink library.

• BREAKING Enhanced modular building structure for the Franka Simulink Library. Easy incorporation to larger projects and Harware Support Packages.

• BREAKING New Matlab object oriented API expressed based on the new FrankaRobot() class. Incorporation of existing Franka MATLAB functions as methods of the new API Class.

• BREAKING Removing all the “Panda” naming conventions. Replaced with “Franka Robot”.

• BREAKING Franka MATLAB is now distributed as a Toolbox Matlab Add-On. No installation script needed.

• Fixing collision threshold setting bug.

• Oldest supported Matlab version is now the R2021a.

• Adding the option to set the Nominal End-Effector to End-Effector frame NE_T_EE in the Simulink Block “Apply Control”.

• Expansion of the Matlab API with the new methods gripper_state(), gripper_homing(), gripper_grasp(), gripper_move() and gripper_stop() for controlling the Franka Gripper.

• Expansion of the Matlab API with the new method joint_trajectory_motion() for following precomputed joint trajectories.

• Creation of the new demo pick_and_place_with_RRT.mlx showcasing a workflow approach for the new Matlab API.

0.3.1 (23-03-2023)

• Bugfix. Properly setting the collision threshold values in Simulink.

0.3.0 (20-09-2022)

• Windows 10 support (Experimental mainly due to the non-Real-Time nature of the default Windows system).

• Project now relies on the leaner “Generic Real-Time” .tlc (grt.tlc) target framework.

• Support for XCP communication protocol (vehicle network communication). Data inspector is now enabled!

• Support for “Run on custom Hardware” Simulink App for controlling the “Build-deploy-execute-connect” workflow.

• Project back-end overal simplification with modified rt_main.cpp for handling the external mode as a seperate thread.

• BREAKING all the Franka MATLAB functions are starting with the “franka_” prefix.

• Expansion of Matlab library with the functions franka_communication_test(), franka_joint_poses(), franka_robot_state() and franka_joint_point_to_point_motion().

• Addition of the Simulink demo, “joint_impedance_control.slx”.

• Fixing the bug when utilizing the Control Modes “Torque Control - X`.

0.2.1 (29-04-2022)

• Adding supoort for all versions from Matlab2019a till Matlab2021a with libfranka 0.9.0.

0.2.0 (31-05-2021)

• franka_matlab upgrade, supports Matlab2019a, Matlab2019b, Matlab2020a, Matlab2020b, Matlab2021a & libfranka 0.8.0.

0.1.1 (01-07-2020)

• Any dependences that lead to source code linking for the Simulink Franka Library during mexing removed. That fixes the memory corruption bug when shutting down Matlab.

• Simulink Franka Library sFunctions C++ and tlc implementations decoupled from src code necessary for automatic code gen. SRC Folder can be treated seperately as a C++ project.

0.1.0 (21-01-2020)

• Features:

  • Simulink Library for Franka Robot, includes the following blocks:

    • Franka Simulink Iterface for applying the desired control, plus additional parameters.

    • Read Initial Robot State for reading initial values during the first execution step for any desirable signal. The set of the desired signals can be set through the mask in free text form.

    • Read Robot State for reading the values of any desirable signal during execution. The set of the desired signals can be set through the mask in free text form.

    • Franka Model for reading the values of all Model parameters of the Franka Robot during execution.

    • Duration Period for reading the current step, sample time. If communication is not secured during the 1ms, the block will return the value of 2ms or 3ms etc.

    • Gripper Read State for reading the current values out of the Franka Gripper.

  • franka_robot.tlc & franka_robot_shrlib.tlc custom linux targets, based on ert, that offer ext mode that is real time capable(package drop in case of main step frame loss).

  • Matlab Library(Experimental, limited support), includes the following command:

    • automatic_error_recovery(robot_ip). Execute through a matlab command line for getting automatically out of an error state.

  • Simulink Library misc(Experimental, limited support) that includes a set of UI buttons with callback scripts with the potential to automate some of the dev. workflow.