Collaborating with key stakeholders to enhance the sustainability, interoperability, and future of ROS and open source robotics projects
Bosch is excited to announce its membership in the Open Source Robotics Alliance (OSRA) — a new initiative led by the Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF). It brings together key stakeholders to create a unified and collaborative approach to the development and governance of open source robotics projects such as the Robot Operating System (ROS), Gazebo, and the Open Robotics Middleware Framework (Open-RMF). By establishing a cohesive governance framework, the OSRA enhances the interoperability, sustainability, and accessibility of these essential tools.
Bosch believes that this initiative is crucial for fostering a more robust and innovative robotics ecosystem. Through this collaboration, Bosch aims to further advance open source software in robotics and shape the future of ROS.
ROS is a project that provides many software components that are needed to build a robotic system. This allows industrial users to focus on unique features and bring new robotic products to market quickly. Bosch has a long history of using ROS in research and development and contributing to its many packages and tools.
In 2010, as part of the PR2 beta program (PR: personal robot), Bosch was the only company to receive a PR2 robot, a humanoid robotic platform designed to kick-start the development of ROS. For Bosch this marked the beginning of a success story for numerous robotics projects. ROS has not only provided Bosch with valuable software assets, but has also served as a platform for efficient, interdisciplinary collaboration across Bosch business units.
Since the early stages of the OSRA, Bosch has been involved in its planning and has contributed to the vision and structure that will guide its efforts. As a Gold member of the OSRA, Bosch joins other prominent organizations in supporting the global robotics community. Bosch will aim to contribute to the Technical Governance Committee (TGC) of the OSRA, making use of its extensive industry expertise to benefit the future of ROS.