petercorke · Oct 17, 2026 · Oct 17, 2026 · Oct 17, 2026 · Oct 17, 2026
diff --git a/.github/workflows/docs.yml b/.github/workflows/docs.yml
@@ -126,8 +126,12 @@ jobs:
         # version-pinning section for the full story before bumping this.
         # Once Safari (and Firefox out-of-flag) ship JSPI, revisit this pin
         # across RTB/MVTB/bdsim together.
+        # ipympl is installed here, in the build environment, so that the
+        # jupyter-matplotlib extension is bundled into the site: the notebooks
+        # use %matplotlib ipympl, and without the extension a figure is blank.
+        # (The notebooks install ipympl itself into the in-browser kernel.)
         run: |
-          pip install jupyterlite-core "jupyterlite-pyodide-kernel==0.6.1" jupyter-server
+          pip install jupyterlite-core "jupyterlite-pyodide-kernel==0.6.1" jupyter-server ipympl
           cd docs/lite && jupyter lite build --output-dir ../build/html/lite
 
       - name: Upload Pages artifact

diff --git a/docs/notebooks/dynamics.ipynb b/docs/notebooks/dynamics.ipynb
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
    "source": [
     "try:\n",
     "    import piplite\n",
-    "    await piplite.install([\"roboticstoolbox-python\"])\n",
+    "    await piplite.install([\"ipympl\", \"roboticstoolbox-python\"])\n",
     "except ImportError:\n",
     "    pass  # not running in Pyodide (e.g. local Jupyter) -- assume it's already pip-installed\n",
     "\n",
@@ -29,7 +29,8 @@
     "    formatter={\"float\": lambda x: f\"{x:8.4g}\" if abs(x) > 1e-10 else f\"{0:8.4g}\"},\n",
     ")\n",
     "\n",
-    "%matplotlib notebook\n",
+    "%matplotlib ipympl\n",
+    "plt.close(\"all\")\n",
     "%config NotebookBackend.figure_format = 'retina'"
    ]
   },
@@ -1037,7 +1038,7 @@
     }
    ],
    "source": [
-    "p560.plot(p560.qn, block=False);"
+    "p560.plot(p560.qn);"
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -2139,8 +2140,7 @@
     "fig.colorbar(surf, shrink=0.9, aspect=10, pad=0.12)\n",
     "ax.set_xlabel(\"$q_2$ (rad)\")\n",
     "ax.set_ylabel(\"$q_3$ (rad)\")\n",
-    "ax.set_zlabel(\"$M_{11}$ ($kg.m^2$)\")\n",
-    "plt.show()"
+    "ax.set_zlabel(\"$M_{11}$ ($kg.m^2$)\")"
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -3163,8 +3163,7 @@
     "fig.colorbar(surf, shrink=0.9, aspect=10, pad=0.12)\n",
     "ax.set_xlabel(\"$q_2$ (rad)\")\n",
     "ax.set_ylabel(\"$q_3$ (rad)\")\n",
-    "ax.set_zlabel(\"$M_{12}$ ($kg.m^2$)\")\n",
-    "plt.show()"
+    "ax.set_zlabel(\"$M_{12}$ ($kg.m^2$)\")"
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -4382,7 +4381,7 @@
     }
    ],
    "source": [
-    "rtb.tools.trajectory.qplot(tg.t, tg.q)"
+    "rtb.tools.plot.xplot(tg.t, tg.q)"
    ]
   },
   {

diff --git a/docs/notebooks/ets.ipynb b/docs/notebooks/ets.ipynb
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@
    "source": [
     "try:\n",
     "    import piplite\n",
-    "    await piplite.install([\"roboticstoolbox-python\"])\n",
+    "    await piplite.install([\"ipympl\", \"roboticstoolbox-python\"])\n",
     "except ImportError:\n",
     "    pass  # not running in Pyodide (e.g. local Jupyter) -- assume it's already pip-installed\n",
     "\n",
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@
     "from spatialmath import SE3\n",
     "from spatialmath.base import sym\n",
     "\n",
-    "%matplotlib notebook"
+    "%matplotlib ipympl"
    ]
   },
   {

diff --git a/docs/notebooks/icra2021.ipynb b/docs/notebooks/icra2021.ipynb
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
    "source": [
     "try:\n",
     "    import piplite\n",
-    "    await piplite.install([\"roboticstoolbox-python\"])\n",
+    "    await piplite.install([\"ipympl\", \"roboticstoolbox-python\"])\n",
     "except ImportError:\n",
     "    pass  # not running in Pyodide (e.g. local Jupyter) -- assume it's already pip-installed\n",
     "\n",
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@
     "\"\"\"\n",
     "    )\n",
     ")\n",
-    "%matplotlib notebook"
+    "%matplotlib ipympl"
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -3458,7 +3458,7 @@
    ],
    "source": [
     "traj = jtraj(puma.qz, puma.qr, 100)\n",
-    "qplot(traj.q)"
+    "traj.qplot()"
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -4047,7 +4047,7 @@
     }
    ],
    "source": [
-    "panda.plot(panda.qr, block=False);"
+    "panda.plot(panda.qr);"
    ]
   },
   {

diff --git a/docs/notebooks/iros2020-workshop.ipynb b/docs/notebooks/iros2020-workshop.ipynb
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@
    "source": [
     "try:\n",
     "    import piplite\n",
-    "    await piplite.install([\"roboticstoolbox-python\"])\n",
+    "    await piplite.install([\"ipympl\", \"roboticstoolbox-python\"])\n",
     "except ImportError:\n",
     "    pass  # not running in Pyodide (e.g. local Jupyter) -- assume it's already pip-installed\n",
     "\n",
@@ -43,7 +43,8 @@
     "    formatter={\"float\": lambda x: f\"{x:8.4g}\" if abs(x) > 1e-10 else f\"{0:8.4g}\"},\n",
     ")\n",
     "\n",
-    "%matplotlib notebook"
+    "%matplotlib ipympl\n",
+    "plt.close(\"all\")"
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -1465,7 +1466,7 @@
    "outputs": [],
    "source": [
     "tg = puma.nofriction().fdyn(5, puma.qn, dt=0.05)\n",
-    "rtb.tools.trajectory.qplot(tg.q, tg.t, block=True)"
+    "rtb.tools.plot.xplot(tg.t, tg.q)"
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -1672,9 +1673,7 @@
     "ax.set_ylim3d(-10, 10)\n",
     "ax.set_zlim3d(-10, 10)\n",
     "\n",
-    "tw.line().plot(color=\"red\", linewidth=2)\n",
-    "\n",
-    "plt.show()"
+    "tw.line().plot(color=\"red\", linewidth=2)"
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -1914,9 +1913,8 @@
    "metadata": {},
    "outputs": [],
    "source": [
-    "fig = puma.plot(puma.qz, block=False)\n",
-    "lines.plot(\"k--\", linewidth=1.5, bounds=np.r_[-1, 1, -1, 1, -1, 1.5])\n",
-    "plt.show()"
+    "fig = puma.plot(puma.qz)\n",
+    "lines.plot(\"k--\", linewidth=1.5, bounds=np.r_[-1, 1, -1, 1, -1, 1.5])"
    ]
   },
   {

diff --git a/docs/notebooks/kinematics.ipynb b/docs/notebooks/kinematics.ipynb
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
    "source": [
     "try:\n",
     "    import piplite\n",
-    "    await piplite.install([\"roboticstoolbox-python\"])\n",
+    "    await piplite.install([\"ipympl\", \"roboticstoolbox-python\"])\n",
     "except ImportError:\n",
     "    pass  # not running in Pyodide (e.g. local Jupyter) -- assume it's already pip-installed\n",
     "\n",
@@ -27,7 +27,8 @@
     "    formatter={\"float\": lambda x: f\"{x:8.4g}\" if abs(x) > 1e-10 else f\"{0:8.4g}\"},\n",
     ")\n",
     "\n",
-    "%matplotlib notebook"
+    "%matplotlib ipympl\n",
+    "plt.close(\"all\")"
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -1417,7 +1418,7 @@
    "cell_type": "markdown",
    "metadata": {},
    "source": [
-    "We can plot this trajectory as a function of time using the convenience function `qplot`"
+    "We can plot this trajectory as a function of time using the convenience method `qplot`"
    ]
   },
   {
@@ -2370,7 +2371,7 @@
     }
    ],
    "source": [
-    "rtb.tools.trajectory.qplot(qt.q, block=False)"
+    "qt.qplot()"
    ]
   },
   {

diff --git a/docs/notebooks/robotics.ipynb b/docs/notebooks/robotics.ipynb
@@ -500,7 +500,7 @@
     "from roboticstoolbox import VehiclePolygon\n",
     "\n",
     "va = VehiclePolygon(piano)\n",
-    "map.plot(block=None)\n",
+    "map.plot()\n",
     "for i in np.unique(np.rint(np.linspace(0, len(path) - 1, 20)).astype(int)):\n",
     "    va.plot(path[i, :], alpha=0.2)\n"
    ]

diff --git a/docs/notebooks/symbolic.ipynb b/docs/notebooks/symbolic.ipynb
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
    "source": [
     "try:\n",
     "    import piplite\n",
-    "    await piplite.install([\"roboticstoolbox-python\"])\n",
+    "    await piplite.install([\"ipympl\", \"roboticstoolbox-python\"])\n",
     "except ImportError:\n",
     "    pass  # not running in Pyodide (e.g. local Jupyter) -- assume it's already pip-installed\n",
     "\n",
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
     "from spatialmath import SE3\n",
     "import spatialmath.base.symbolic as sym\n",
     "\n",
-    "%matplotlib notebook"
+    "%matplotlib ipympl"
    ]
   },
   {