Robot operating systems (ROS) rely largely on open source software and that’s likely to continue.
That’s according to a report from ABI Research which said that using open source software, libraries, tools and the run time environment all contribute to a reduction in complexity, robustness, maintenance and speed of devleopment and deployment.
Dan Kara a director of robotics at ABI said that the complexity, difficulty and “glacial pace” of software development has stifled robotics and held up commercialisation of products.
He said that ROS is now a standard technology for robotic researchers and the next generation of engineers will be well schooled in ROS.
The move is being driven by giants like Google and Toyota, but also aided by Rethink Robotics and Universall robots.
He said: “ROS has the potential to become a foundational software platform for all manner of actuated devices, ranging from service robots, industrial manipulators, consumer systems, self drive cars and more.”
