--- title: "Towards Real-World Robotics: Takeaways from Launching the FR3 Duo Prototype and its Mobile Counterpart" description: "Unveiled at Automatica 2025: FR3 Duo & Mobile FR3 Duo – extensible, dual-arm robot systems built for real-world robotics and advanced research." image: https://franka.de/hubfs/website-optimised/FR3-Duo-mobile-showcase.jpg --- [![Logo Franka Robotics](https://franka.de/hubfs/logo-and-claim.svg "Logo Franka Robotics")](https://franka.de?hsLang=en) [![Logo Franka Robotics](https://franka.de/hubfs/logo.svg "Logo Franka Robotics")](https://franka.de/?hsLang=en) Menu - [Products](https://franka.de/products-overview) - [Franka Research 3](https://franka.de/franka-research-3) - [Diana 7 by Agile Robots](https://franka.de/diana-7) - [Accessories](https://franka.de/accessories) - [Prototypes](https://franka.de/product-prototypes) - [Franka Research 3 Duo](https://franka.de/fr3-duo) - [Mobile FR3 Duo](https://franka.de/mobile-fr3-duo) - [Tactile Mobile Robot](https://franka.de/tmr) - [Franka GELLO and GELLO Duo](https://franka.de/gello) - [Applications](https://franka.de/applications) - [Physical AI](https://franka.de/applications#physical-ai-applications) - [Research](https://franka.de/applications#application-research) - [Service / Innovative](https://franka.de/applications#application-innovation) - [Art](https://franka.de/art) - [Industry](https://franka.de/applications#application-industry) - [Resources](https://franka.de/resources) - [Product Documentation](https://franka.de/documents) - [Development](https://franka.de/develop) - [Community Contributions](https://franka.de/community) - [Community Forum](https://www.franka-community.de/) - [Webinars](https://franka.de/webinars) - [Careers](https://franka.de/careers) - [Company](https://franka.de/company) - [About](https://franka.de/company) - [Contact](https://franka.de/contact) - [News](https://franka.de/news) - [Events](https://franka.de/events) - [Sales Partners](https://franka.de/partners) English - [English](https://franka.de/news/real-world-robotics-insights-from-fr3-duo-mobile-showcase) - [中文 (Chinese)](https://www.franka-robotics.cn) ![Towards Real-World Robotics: Takeaways from Launching the FR3 Duo Prototype and its Mobile Counterpart](https://franka.de/hs-fs/hubfs/website-optimised/FR3-Duo-mobile-showcase.jpg?width=2000&name=FR3-Duo-mobile-showcase.jpg) # Towards Real-World Robotics: Takeaways from Launching the FR3 Duo Prototype and its Mobile Counterpart Published by [Özlem Odeh](https://franka.de/news/author/özlem-odeh) on 1.8.2025 At **Automatica 2025**, we presented two new prototypes that drew strong interest from roboticists: the **Franka Research 3 Duo** and its mobile counterpart, the **Mobile FR3 Duo**. Both prototypes reflect a focused effort to provide high-performance, extensible systems for advanced (mobile) manipulation and robotics learning research.   We were encouraged by the response. Visitors shared ideas, asked insightful questions, and immediately saw connections between the systems and their own work – in labs, and in the field.  Below is a short summary of what we presented. **A Dual-Arm robot, Ready to Use FR3 Duo** combines two of our **Franka Research 3** robot arms on a single mount, delivering a reference dual-arm system for control, manipulation and imitation learning. Out-of-the-box, it minimizes integration overhead and speeds up time to research. Each Arm features 7 degrees of freedom, joints with integrated torque sensors, and a lightweight, human-scale form factor designed for safety and dexterity. The system includes: · Two robot arms · Torso mount and cover · Grippers · Head-mounted stereo camera, plus torso and wrist cameras The system is fully compatible with **ROS 2** and enables high-frequency access via the **Franka Control Interface (FCI)** at 1 kHz. This makes it particularly well-suited for research in areas such as imitation learning, dual-arm manipulation, and teleoperation – without the complexity of building a custom setup. Extension points on the torso support additional equipment, allowing researchers to tailor the system to their specific needs. **From Stationary to Mobile: The Mobile FR3 Duo Mobile FR3 Duo** extends the same dual-arm architecture onto the **Tactile Mobile Robot (TMR)** base – resulting in a tightly integrated mobile manipulation system. The design emphasizes real-world deployment: from autonomous exploration and data collection to AI-based interaction in dynamic environments. It combines: · The full bimanual capabilities of the FR3 Duo · A compact mobile base (800 × 580 × 294 mm) with a top speed of **1.75 m/s** · **14 torque sensors**, **2 LiDARs**, **8 cameras**, and **1 IMU** · **NVIDIA AGX Orin** onboard compute for demanding user workloads · Modular mounting frame and interface ports for extensibility With a payload capacity of **3 kg per Arm** and **855 mm reach**, the system is capable of complex, coordinated tasks in dynamic environments. The low-latency control loop via FCI supports interaction with objects and people alike, while the onboard perception stack enhances autonomy and responsiveness. **Reflections from Automatica** Behind these prototypes was a significant effort by the Franka team – across engineering, design, operations, and logistics. From early concept to fully functional systems on display, the work spanned months of development, integration, and testing. Preparing for the trade fair brought it all together, and it was rewarding to see the systems presented in a way that sparked so many meaningful conversations. Throughout the event, we had valuable discussions with researchers working on mobile manipulation, learning-based control, and human-robot interaction. Many saw potential in these systems for embodied AI experiments, collaborative robotics, and fast iteration on control strategies. What resonated most was the unified architecture across both the stationary and mobile variants: a shared control interface, pre-integrated components, and design choices that reduce the usual friction in deploying complex robotic systems. Together, the FR3 Duo and its mobile counterpart cover the full spectrum of activities for the robotics learning community — from teleoperated demonstration to data collection in the real world, to onboard model inference and deployment. We’re continuing to refine both prototypes based on this feedback – and we’re excited to see where this momentum leads. For us, **Automatica 2025 wasn’t just a showcase; it marked the beginning of a new chapter in our commitment to making advanced robotics research more accessible, extensible, and real-world ready**. To learn more or request early access to prototypes: [lp.franka.de/upcomingproducts](https://lp.franka.de/upcomingproducts) [Back to Blog](https://franka.de/news) - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ## Related Articles [![From Request to Robot Action: Inside the Franka Agentic Cookbook](https://franka.de/hs-fs/hubfs/Franka%20Cookbook%20Virtual%20Twin.png?width=1024&name=Franka%20Cookbook%20Virtual%20Twin.png)](https://franka.de/news/from-request-to-robot-action-inside-the-franka-agentic-cookbook) ## [From Request to Robot Action: Inside the Franka Agentic Cookbook](https://franka.de/news/from-request-to-robot-action-inside-the-franka-agentic-cookbook) “Read the technical drawing and build the depicted construction using the available parts.” For... 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All rights reserved ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://franka.de/#website", "@type" : "WebSite", "inLanguage" : "en", "name" : "Franka Robotics", "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://franka.de/#organization" }, "url" : "https://franka.de/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://franka.de/#organization", "@type" : "Organization", "foundingDate" : "2016", "legalName" : "Franka Robotics GmbH", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://franka.de/hubfs/logo-and-claim.svg" }, "name" : "Franka Robotics", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/frankarobotics/", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/frankarobotics", "https://twitter.com/FRANKAROBOTICS", "https://www.instagram.com/frankarobotics/", "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjvmirH4BRbWoQwYO4EmXFQ" ], "url" : "https://franka.de/" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://franka.de/news/real-world-robotics-insights-from-fr3-duo-mobile-showcase#webpage", "@type" : "WebPage", "inLanguage" : "en", "isPartOf" : { "@id" : "https://franka.de/#website" }, "mainEntity" : { "@id" : "https://franka.de/news/real-world-robotics-insights-from-fr3-duo-mobile-showcase#blogposting" }, "name" : "Towards Real-World Robotics: Takeaways from Launching the FR3 Duo Prototype and its Mobile Counterpart", "url" : "https://franka.de/news/real-world-robotics-insights-from-fr3-duo-mobile-showcase" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://franka.de/news/real-world-robotics-insights-from-fr3-duo-mobile-showcase#blogposting", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "about" : [ { "@id" : "https://franka.de/de/mobile-fr3-duo#product", "@type" : "Product", "name" : "Mobile FR3 Duo" }, { "@id" : "https://franka.de/de/mobile-fr3-duo#fr3-duo", "@type" : "Product", "name" : "Franka Research 3 Duo" }, { "@id" : "https://franka.de/ja/tmr#product", "@type" : "Product", "name" : "Tactile Mobile Robot" }, { "@id" : "https://franka.de/franka-research-3-arm#product", "@type" : "Product", "name" : "Franka Research 3" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Mobile manipulation" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Robotics learning" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Imitation learning" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Teleoperation" }, { "@type" : "Thing", "name" : "Embodied AI" } ], "articleBody" : "At Automatica 2025, Franka Robotics presented two prototypes: the Franka Research 3 Duo and Mobile FR3 Duo. Both systems are designed to support advanced manipulation and robotics learning research. FR3 Duo combines two Franka Research 3 robot arms on a single mount, with seven degrees of freedom and integrated joint torque sensors per arm. Its configuration includes a torso mount, grippers, a head-mounted stereo camera, and torso and wrist cameras. It supports ROS 2 and high-frequency access through the Franka Control Interface (FCI) at 1 kHz, making it suitable for imitation learning, dual-arm manipulation and teleoperation research. Mobile FR3 Duo extends this architecture onto the Tactile Mobile Robot base. Its mobile platform measures 800 × 580 × 294 mm and reaches a maximum speed of 1.75 m/s. The system includes 14 torque sensors, two LiDARs, eight cameras, one IMU and NVIDIA AGX Orin onboard computing. Each arm has a 3 kg payload capacity and 855 mm reach. The article describes applications including autonomous exploration, data collection, AI-based interaction, embodied AI experiments and real-world deployment. Following feedback and discussions at Automatica 2025, Franka Robotics continues refining both prototypes and invites interested users to request early access.", "articleSection" : "News", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Özlem Odeh", "url" : "https://franka.de/news/author/%C3%B6zlem-odeh" }, "datePublished" : "2025-08-01", "description" : "Franka Robotics presents the FR3 Duo and Mobile FR3 Duo prototypes at Automatica 2025, showcasing integrated dual-arm and mobile manipulation systems designed for robotics learning, teleoperation, imitation learning and real-world research.", "headline" : "Towards Real-World Robotics: Takeaways from Launching the FR3 Duo Prototype and its Mobile Counterpart", "inLanguage" : "en", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://franka.de/news/real-world-robotics-insights-from-fr3-duo-mobile-showcase#webpage" }, "mentions" : [ { "@type" : "Event", "name" : "Automatica 2025" }, { "@type" : "SoftwareApplication", "name" : "ROS 2" }, { "@type" : "SoftwareApplication", "name" : "Franka Control Interface (FCI)" }, { "@type" : "Organization", "name" : "NVIDIA", "url" : "https://www.nvidia.com/" } ], "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://franka.de/#organization" }, "url" : "https://franka.de/news/real-world-robotics-insights-from-fr3-duo-mobile-showcase" } ```