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IKPy

  • Software
  • Robot arms and industry
  • Library

IKPy is a pure-Python library that computes inverse kinematics for robot arms, with kinematic chains built from URDF, MJCF, DH parameters or custom definitions.

Source on GitHub: github.com/Phylliade/ikpy (opens in a new tab). Facts read at commit e76c285 (opens in a new tab).

Licenses

Code
Apache-2.0 (opens in a new tab)

Read by Robotheca from LICENSE (opens in a new tab) (Apache-2.0) at commit e76c285 (opens in a new tab), on 16 Oct 2026.

Commercial use
Yes

What it does

  • Computes inverse kinematics in position, orientation, or both, for any robot described by a kinematic chain.
  • Imports kinematic chains from URDF files and MuJoCo MJCF files, and supports revolute and prismatic joints.
  • Includes pre-configured robots such as baxter and poppy-torso.
  • Plots the kinematic chain, so algorithms can be tested without a real robot or simulator.
  • Offers an optional JAX backend with analytical Jacobians for faster, more robust solving on chains with five or more joints.
  • Lets users define their own inverse kinematics methods through a developer API.

Written by Robotheca from the project's README (opens in a new tab) at commit e76c285.

Getting started

Difficulty
Beginner
Hardware it needs, as the project states it
Pure-Python library installed with pip; requires Python 3.10 or above and the numpy and scipy dependencies. The JAX backend needs the optional jax extra. Plotting needs matplotlib.

Maintenance

Status
Active: a commit in the last 90 days
Newest commit
30 Aug 2026 on master
Latest release
IKPy v4.1.0 (30 Aug 2026)

Checked on GitHub on 16 Oct 2026.

Links

Robots on Robotheca that use it

No robot on Robotheca is linked to it yet. Links come from a robot's robot.yaml, from its dependency files read as text, or from Robotheca's editors.

Robotheca lists software as a reference: nothing is hosted or run here, and every fact links to where it was read.