mplib

What it is and what it does

MPlib is a lightweight Python motion planning library designed for robot manipulation tasks. It decouples from ROS to simplify setup and use, offering core motion planning functionality through a minimal Python interface. The package depends on numpy for numerical computation, toppra for trajectory optimization, and transforms3d for 3D geometric transformations.

The library targets developers and researchers working on robot manipulation who need trajectory planning and collision checking without the overhead of a full ROS installation. It supports Python 3.8 through 3.12 on Linux and provides prebuilt wheels for straightforward installation, though the project has not released updates in over two years, which may limit support for newer Python versions or bug fixes.

Use it for:

• Plan collision-free trajectories for robotic arms in simulation or research prototypes.
• Compute smooth robot manipulation paths without setting up a full ROS environment.
• Integrate motion planning into Python-based robot control scripts using numpy arrays.
• Prototype manipulation algorithms in academic research on robot motion.
• Generate optimized trajectories for multi-joint robot systems in educational projects.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

MPlib provides motion planning algorithms for robot manipulation, decoupled from ROS, with trajectory computation and collision checking built on numpy, toppra, and transforms3d.

Yes, with conditions. Install if you need lightweight, ROS-independent motion planning for robot manipulation on Linux and can accept a dormant codebase. The MIT license and prebuilt wheels lower friction, but the 727-day release gap means no recent bug fixes or Python version updates—verify that version 0.2.1 meets your Python and platform requirements before committing. No known security vulnerabilities.

Install

mplib on PyPI

pip install mplib

uv add mplib

poetry add mplib

Installing mplib

Before you install

Medium install friction: prebuilt wheels available for Python 3.8–3.12 on Linux, but the package is dormant (no releases in 727 days), which may affect long-term compatibility and bug fixes.

License in practice

MIT License permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; you must include the license notice in distributions but face no copyleft obligations.

Quickstart

pip install mplib
import mplib
# Create a planner and compute trajectories using numpy arrays

Requires Ubuntu 20.04+ and Linux x86_64; prebuilt wheels do not support macOS or Windows.

Verify before relying

• Specific motion planning algorithms implemented (RRT, PRM, etc.) and their performance characteristics.
• Whether the package is actively maintained despite the 727-day gap since last release.
• Integration requirements with robot simulators or hardware beyond the three listed dependencies.

Package facts

Evidence: mplib-0.2.1-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; mplib-0.2.1-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; mplib-0.2.1-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; mplib-0.2.1-cp38-cp38-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; mplib-0.2.1-cp39-cp39-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl

Keywords: robotics, motion planning

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