SE3Kit: A Lightweight Python Library for Specialized Geometric Primitives in Robotics

TL;DR

SE3Kit is a lightweight, pure-Python library for efficient and mathematically rigorous operations on SE(3) and SO(3), tailored for robotics applications like embedded systems and education.

Contribution

It introduces SE3Kit, filling the gap with a dependency-light, NumPy-only library for Lie Group operations in robotics, suitable for embedded deployment and rapid prototyping.

Findings

Provides a pure-Python, NumPy-only implementation of Lie Group operations.

Efficient for embedded deployment and rapid prototyping.

Offers rigorous mathematical implementation without heavy dependencies.

Abstract

The Python robotics ecosystem faces a challenge: while many libraries exist for rigid body transformations, few are both lightweight and mathematically strict. This paper introduces SE3Kit, a lightweight Python library efficient operations on the Special Euclidean Group SE(3) and the Special Orthogonal Group SO(3). Unlike established frameworks that require heavy dependencies (e.g., SpatialMath, PyPose) or general tools that lack robotics-specific features (e.g., SciPy), SE3Kit targets the gap between these extremes. It is designed for embedded deployment, rapid prototyping, and education while providing rigorous mathematical implementation. It provides a pure-Python, NumPy-only implementation of Lie Group operations, without the overhead of deep learning or other visualization software.