Open Source RoboticsRobots, software & learning

cisst

Software

C++ robotics and computer-assisted intervention libraries with manipulator-model, multitasking and numerical components. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Installation & first result →Official websiteGetting started

For
Robotics developers evaluating C++ manipulator and component libraries [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
Source rights
Named licenses are documented by part. Review licenses
Unknowns
operating system, compute requirements not fully established. Review gaps

Source researched · Not tested by us
Sources checked · Research details

Licenses & related hardware

Requirements · Research details and dates

On this page

Overview

cisst contains C++ libraries for computer-assisted intervention, including robotics, multitasking, stereo vision and numerical components. The sampled cisstRobot manipulator implementation gives this entry a concrete robot-model scope. It does not establish a commissioned surgical system or physical controller. [1] [3]

Is this for you?

Known limitations
  • Root custom license identifies research purpose and advises against clinical use; no clinical suitability implied.
  • Optional modules/examples/vendor components must be selected; CI badges do not establish this environment builds.

Editorial assessment of cited source; no runtime or hardware test.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] · Editorial assessment

What you need

Dependencies
  • Root CMake minimum3.16; selected modules and optionalcisstNetlib/Qt/PythonSWIG dependencies
  • Compilation guide includes larger cisst-saw recursive workflow; vendor SAW components have separate dependencies

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Installation & first result

Open the upstream getting-started guide [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

  • Inspect the selected cisstRobot manipulator source and required modules.
  • Follow the compilation guide with matched CMake/module options; enable only needed wrappers/examples and external components.

Editorial assessment of cited source; no runtime or hardware test.

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] · Editorial assessment

Installation

CMake >=3.16; documented recursive cisst-saw checkout and ccmake/cmake-gui module selection. Build/install cisstNetlib first per guide; Qt and SWIG/Python wrappers are optional choices.

Upstream documented requirement/configuration only, not independently tested installation or compatibility.

[4] [5]

Project notes

Separate the library checkout from the larger component workspace

The root CMakeLists.txt requires CMake 3.16 or later. Its options control modules and wrappers; interactive features can require SWIG/Python. The compilation guide describes a larger recursive cisst-saw checkout, configuration with ccmake or cmake-gui, and selecting examples, tests and individual SAW components. Do not assume every linked vendor component is supplied or enabled by the cisst library alone. [4] [5]

The guide recommends cisstNetlib for numerical routines and Qt for graphical widgets; Python/numpy and SWIG are needed when selecting Python wrappers. A useful first investigation is the chosen manipulator code and its required modules, followed by a matching build configuration. The guide maps individual libraries to CISST_<library_name>, Qt to CISST_HAS_QT, Python wrappers to CISST_HAS_SWIG_PYTHON, and SAW components to SAW_BUILD_<component_name>. It recommends building and installing cisstNetlib first. These are documented configuration choices, not a tested configuration here. No dependency installation, compilation, example or numerical comparison was performed here. [3] [5]

The README's operating-system CI badges describe upstream workflows, not compatibility reproduced by this review. Likewise, a CMake option that enables tests does not mean those tests ran successfully here. Model calculations are separate from device transport, feedback timing and real-time execution. [1] [4] [5]

What we checked

Source/document review only; no C++ build, numerical validation, robot connection, real-time timing or clinical test.

Not yet established

  • Requirements: operating system, host computer
  • Version-specific hardware compatibility (ecosystem tags alone do not establish it)

Updates

Upstream last updated
Not established
Latest release
Not established
Profile updated
Nov 1, 2026
Sources last checked
Nov 1, 2026
Next review
Dec 1, 2026
Reviewed revision
5ffd602

Source files and licenses

Inspectable manipulator/control-related C++ library implementation, not a complete surgical system or generic utilities alone.

LayerAvailability / license
softwareavailable · CISST Software License Agreement1.0
Custom CISST agreement, not MIT/BSD; third-party permissions and research/clinical-use provisions must remain separate. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
documentationavailable · CISST Software License Agreement1.0
Custom CISST agreement, not MIT/BSD; third-party permissions and research/clinical-use provisions must remain separate. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

No separate physical design, pretrained distribution or dataset is selected as the released contribution in this scoped software review.

Preserve the actual license

The repository uses the CISST Software License Agreement, version 1.0, rather than a standard MIT or BSD notice. It includes redistribution conditions, separates third-party permissions and identifies the software as designed for research. It says clinical use is neither recommended nor advised. These are source-license provisions, not a medical-use or regulatory assessment by this catalog. [2]

A build for one library configuration would still not establish clinical suitability, hardware compatibility or a tested control loop. No physical robot, intervention, real-time benchmark or recovery behavior was tested. [1] [2] [3]

References

Each source links to the exact revision we read. “Used for” shows where this page relies on it.

Correction guidance · Discussion is not enabled · Profile format 0.7.0-draft.5

Change history