Universal Robots

aid: universal-robots
name: Universal Robots
description: >-
  Universal Robots is a Danish collaborative-robot (cobot) manufacturer
  headquartered in Odense, Denmark, founded in 2005 by Esben Østergaard,
  Kasper Støy, and Kristian Kassow, and acquired by Teradyne in 2015 for
  USD 285 million. Universal Robots is the market leader in cobots, with
  more than 100,000 units sold worldwide and a 40–50% share of the
  global collaborative-robot market. The company ships two product
  generations — the e-Series (UR3e, UR7e, UR12e, UR16e) and the newer
  high-payload UR series (UR8 Long, UR15, UR18, UR20, UR30) — running
  the PolyScope 5 teach-pendant software stack and the next-generation
  PolyScope X platform. Universal Robots is unusual among industrial-robot
  vendors in publishing an extensive open developer surface: the C++
  Universal_Robots_Client_Library, the Universal_Robots_ROS_Driver and
  Universal_Robots_ROS2_Driver, the RTDE Python Client Library, the
  Universal_Robots_Isaac_Driver for NVIDIA Isaac, the URCap SDK (PolyScope 5
  Java) and PolyScopeX URCap SDK (TypeScript/HTML), and the URScript
  language. The wire-level protocols — Real-Time Data Exchange (RTDE),
  Dashboard Server, Primary/Secondary Client Interface, Reverse/Trajectory
  interfaces, XML-RPC, and the Tool Communication forwarder — are all
  documented and externally addressable over TCP, making UR cobots first-class
  citizens in third-party automation stacks, ROS/ROS 2, MoveIt, Isaac Sim,
  and the UR+ ecosystem (500+ certified end-effectors, vision systems, and
  URCap software extensions on universal-robots.com/plus). Universal Robots
  does not publish a public HTTP/REST API or OpenAPI specification — all
  programmatic access is via the documented socket protocols and SDKs.
type: Index
position: Provider
access: 3rd-Party
image: https://kinlane-productions.s3.amazonaws.com/apis-json/apis-json-logo.jpg
tags:
  - Robotics
  - Collaborative Robots
  - Cobots
  - Industrial Automation
  - Manufacturing
  - PolyScope
  - PolyScopeX
  - URCaps
  - URScript
  - RTDE
  - ROS
  - ROS 2
  - Teradyne
  - Danish
  - Hardware
url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/api-evangelist/universal-robots/refs/heads/main/apis.yml
created: '2026-05-25'
modified: '2026-05-25'
specificationVersion: '0.20'
apis:
  - aid: universal-robots:rtde
    name: Universal Robots Real-Time Data Exchange (RTDE)
    description: >-
      Real-Time Data Exchange is Universal Robots' synchronous binary TCP
      protocol on port 30004 that lets external applications stream robot
      state at the controller's 500 Hz cycle (e-Series) or 125 Hz cycle
      (CB3) and write inputs back into the controller. RTDE is the
      canonical integration point for vision-guided motion, force/torque
      processing, OEE telemetry, and ROS/ROS 2 drivers. Universal Robots
      publishes a C++ Client Library and a Python Client Library plus a
      ROS 2 RTDE publisher node.
    humanURL: https://docs.universal-robots.com/Universal_Robots_ROS_Documentation/doc/ur_client_library/doc/architecture/rtde.html
    tags:
      - RTDE
      - Real-Time
      - Telemetry
      - TCP
      - Binary Protocol
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://docs.universal-robots.com/
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://www.universal-robots.com/articles/ur/interface-communication/real-time-data-exchange-rtde-guide/
      - type: SDK
        url: https://github.com/UniversalRobots/RTDE_Python_Client_Library
      - type: SDK
        url: https://github.com/UniversalRobots/Universal_Robots_Client_Library
      - type: SDK
        url: https://github.com/UniversalRobots/RTDE_ROS2_Publisher
  - aid: universal-robots:dashboard-server
    name: Universal Robots Dashboard Server
    description: >-
      Plain-text TCP command interface on port 29999 used to power on/off
      the robot, load and play programs, query safety state, and manage
      installations. Dashboard Server is the easiest remote-control entry
      point for shop-floor MES integration and is wrapped by both the C++
      Universal_Robots_Client_Library and the ROS / ROS 2 drivers.
    humanURL: https://www.universal-robots.com/articles/ur/dashboard-server-cb-series-port-29999/
    tags:
      - Dashboard
      - Remote Control
      - TCP
      - Text Protocol
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://www.universal-robots.com/articles/ur/dashboard-server-cb-series-port-29999/
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://www.universal-robots.com/articles/ur/dashboard-server-e-series-port-29999/
      - type: SDK
        url: https://github.com/UniversalRobots/Universal_Robots_Client_Library
  - aid: universal-robots:primary-secondary-client-interface
    name: Universal Robots Primary and Secondary Client Interface
    description: >-
      Streaming binary interface on ports 30001 (Primary, 10 Hz) and
      30002 (Secondary, 10 Hz) that emits robot state and configuration
      messages and accepts URScript programs and commands. The Primary
      interface adds configuration packets; the Secondary interface is
      the recommended channel for sending URScript at runtime.
    humanURL: https://www.universal-robots.com/articles/ur/interface-communication/remote-control-via-tcpip/
    tags:
      - Primary Interface
      - Secondary Interface
      - URScript
      - TCP
      - Binary Protocol
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://www.universal-robots.com/articles/ur/interface-communication/remote-control-via-tcpip/
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://www.universal-robots.com/articles/ur/interface-communication/overview-of-client-interfaces/
      - type: SDK
        url: https://github.com/UniversalRobots/Universal_Robots_Client_Library
  - aid: universal-robots:realtime-interface
    name: Universal Robots Real-Time Interface
    description: >-
      Binary state interface on port 30003 emitting robot state at the
      125 Hz / 500 Hz controller cycle. Predates RTDE and is still
      supported for low-latency one-way state streaming; new
      integrations should prefer RTDE.
    humanURL: https://www.universal-robots.com/articles/ur/interface-communication/remote-control-via-tcpip/
    tags:
      - Real-Time
      - Telemetry
      - TCP
      - Binary Protocol
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://www.universal-robots.com/articles/ur/interface-communication/remote-control-via-tcpip/
  - aid: universal-robots:xml-rpc
    name: Universal Robots XML-RPC
    description: >-
      URScript exposes the `xmlrpc_factory` primitive, letting a URScript
      program call out to any user-hosted XML-RPC server during program
      execution. This is the canonical way to delegate vision-system
      decisions, business logic, or database lookups from a robot program
      to an off-board service.
    humanURL: https://www.universal-robots.com/articles/ur/interface-communication/xml-rpc-tutorial/
    tags:
      - XML-RPC
      - URScript
      - Integration
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://www.universal-robots.com/articles/ur/interface-communication/xml-rpc-tutorial/
  - aid: universal-robots:urscript
    name: URScript
    description: >-
      URScript is Universal Robots' purpose-built scripting language for
      cobot motion, I/O, and process control. URScript programs can be
      authored in PolyScope, streamed over the Secondary Client Interface,
      or generated by external tooling such as MoveIt or the
      Universal_Robots_ROS2_Driver.
    humanURL: https://www.universal-robots.com/products/ur-developer-suite/urscript/
    tags:
      - URScript
      - DSL
      - Motion Control
      - Scripting
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://www.universal-robots.com/products/ur-developer-suite/urscript/
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://www.universal-robots.com/articles/ur/programming/
      - type: SDK
        url: https://github.com/UniversalRobots/URScript_Examples
  - aid: universal-robots:urcap-sdk
    name: URCap SDK (PolyScope 5)
    description: >-
      The URCap SDK is the Java-based extension framework for PolyScope 5
      that powers Universal Robots' UR+ ecosystem. URCaps add program
      nodes, installation screens, daemons, and driver contributions
      (grippers, screwdrivers, vision) to the cobot, and are the primary
      way third parties package integrations for sale through UR+.
    humanURL: https://www.universal-robots.com/products/ur-developer-suite/urcap/
    tags:
      - URCap
      - SDK
      - Java
      - PolyScope
      - UR+
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://www.universal-robots.com/products/ur-developer-suite/urcap/
      - type: SDK
        url: https://github.com/UniversalRobots/URCap-Samples
      - type: Marketplace
        url: https://www.universal-robots.com/plus/
  - aid: universal-robots:polyscopex-urcap-sdk
    name: PolyScope X URCap SDK
    description: >-
      The PolyScope X URCap SDK is the TypeScript/HTML extension
      framework for Universal Robots' next-generation PolyScope X
      teach-pendant operating system that ships on UR15/UR20/UR30 and
      newer cobots. PolyScope X URCaps replace the legacy Java URCap
      model and are containerised (Docker-based) for sandboxing.
    humanURL: https://docs.universal-robots.com/polyscopex/
    tags:
      - URCap
      - PolyScopeX
      - SDK
      - TypeScript
      - Docker
      - UR+
    properties:
      - type: Documentation
        url: https://docs.universal-robots.com/polyscopex/
      - type: SDK
        url: https://github.com/UniversalRobots/PolyScopeX_URCap_SDK
common:
  - type: Website
    url: https://www.universal-robots.com/
  - type: DeveloperSuite
    url: https://www.universal-robots.com/products/ur-developer-suite/
  - type: Documentation
    url: https://docs.universal-robots.com/
  - type: GitHub
    url: https://github.com/UniversalRobots
  - type: Forum
    url: https://forum.universal-robots.com/
  - type: Marketplace
    url: https://www.universal-robots.com/plus/
  - type: Academy
    url: https://academy.universal-robots.com/
  - type: PartnerPortal
    url: https://partners.universal-robots.com/
  - type: Support
    url: https://www.universal-robots.com/support/
  - type: Downloads
    url: https://www.universal-robots.com/download/
  - type: Products
    url: https://www.universal-robots.com/products/
  - type: About
    url: https://www.universal-robots.com/about-universal-robots/
  - type: Newsroom
    url: https://www.universal-robots.com/news-centre/
  - type: Careers
    url: https://www.universal-robots.com/careers/
  - type: Contact
    url: https://www.universal-robots.com/contact/
  - type: Parent
    url: https://www.teradyne.com/
  - type: Sibling
    url: https://www.mobile-industrial-robots.com/
  - type: LinkedIn
    url: https://www.linkedin.com/company/universal-robots/
  - type: YouTube
    url: https://www.youtube.com/user/UniversalRobots
  - type: Twitter
    url: https://twitter.com/universal_robot
maintainers:
  - FN: Kin Lane
    email: [email protected]