Franka Research 3 (FR3) is a seven-axis, force-sensitive robotic arm manufactured by Franka Robotics (formerly Franka Emika) of Munich, Germany. It is the direct successor to the Panda and is aimed primarily at robotics and artificial-intelligence research.
The robot has 7 degrees of freedom and link-side torque sensors in all seven axes, enabling precise force and impedance control. Rated payload is 3 kg, maximum reach is 855 mm, and position repeatability is below ±0.1 mm (ISO 9283). The arm weighs about 18.3 kg.
FR3 is mains-powered (100–240 VAC, ~80 W) and controlled from an external workstation PC over Ethernet. The Franka Control Interface (FCI) provides low-level, real-time control at 1 kHz through the open-source C++ library libfranka, while franka_ros integrates the robot with the ROS 2 ecosystem. The Desk interface supports rapid prototyping and teaching by demonstration. The robot complies with EN ISO 13849-1 and EN ISO 10218-1 safety standards and supports collaborative operation modes with humans.
Dimensions, weight and structural proportions