# Open Robotics

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{{short description|Nonprofit corporation in Mountain View, California}}
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{{Infobox organization
| name           = Open Robotics
| logo           = Openrobotics-logo-color.svg
| image          = 
| type           = [501(c)(3) organization](/source/501(c)(3)_organization)
| focus          = [Open-source software](/source/Open-source_software)
| image_border   = 
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| caption        = 
| map            = 
| map_size       = 
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| abbreviation   = 
| formation      = 2012
| extinction     = 
| status         = 
| purpose        = 
| headquarters   = [Mountain View](/source/Mountain_View%2C_California), [California](/source/California), [United States](/source/United_States)
| location       = 
| coordinates    = 
| region_served  = Worldwide
| products       = [Robot Operating System](/source/Robot_Operating_System), [Gazebo simulator](/source/Gazebo_simulator)
| num_members    = 
| language       = 
| subsidiaries   = Open Source Robotics Corporation, Open Source Robotics Corporation Singapore
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| website        = {{URL|www.openrobotics.org}}
| remarks        = 
}}

'''Open Robotics''' is a [nonprofit corporation](/source/nonprofit_corporation) headquartered in [Mountain View](/source/Mountain_View%2C_California), [California](/source/California). It is the primary maintainer of the [Robot Operating System](/source/Robot_Operating_System), and the [Gazebo simulator](/source/Gazebo_simulator).<ref name="history_ros"/><ref>{{Cite web |title=About -- Gazebo |url=https://gazebosim.org/about |access-date=2023-12-17 |website=Gazebo |archive-date=2023-12-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217150943/https://gazebosim.org/about |url-status=dead }}</ref> Its stated mission is to support "the development, distribution and adoption of open source software for use in robotics research, education, and product development".<ref>{{cite web |title=Open Source Robotics Foundation |url=https://summerofcode.withgoogle.com/archive/2019/organizations/5150988804030464/ |website=Google Summer of Code |access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref>

Open Robotics funds its operations through the contributions of various public and private organizations, some of whom also engage its services for the development of various robotics applications, robotics [R&D](/source/Research_and_Development) and consulting.<ref>{{cite web |title=Open Robotics Home Page |url=https://www.openrobotics.org/ |website=Open Robotics |access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref> Notable sources of past and current funding include [DARPA](/source/DARPA), [NASA](/source/NASA), [Amazon](/source/Amazon_(company)), [Bosch](/source/Robert_Bosch_GmbH), [Nvidia](/source/Nvidia) and the [Toyota](/source/Toyota) Research Institute.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Asay |first1=Matt |title=How AWS is helping to open source the future of robotics |url=https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/opensource/aws-helping-open-source-future-robotics/ |website=AWS Open Source Blog |date=18 October 2019 |access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sponsors |url=https://www.openrobotics.org/sponsors |website=Open Robotics |access-date=5 December 2020 |archive-date=7 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210207094237/https://www.openrobotics.org/sponsors |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Deep Learning and ROS Collide to Bring New Levels of Autonomy to Robots |url=https://news.developer.nvidia.com/deep-learning-and-ros-collide-to-bring-new-levels-of-autonomy-to-robots/ |website=Nvidia |date=17 October 2016 |access-date=12 December 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Gerkey |first1=Brian |title=Renewed support from Toyota Research Institute |url=https://www.osrfoundation.org/renewed-support-from-toyota-research-institute/index.html |website=Open Source Robotics Foundation |access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref>

==History==

The beginnings of Open Robotics can be traced to [Willow Garage](/source/Willow_Garage), a [robotics](/source/robotics) research lab and incubator created by [Scott Hassan](/source/Scott_Hassan), an early [Google](/source/Google) engineer and billionaire technology entrepreneur. It was here that the first official [Robot Operating System](/source/Robot_Operating_System) (ROS) distribution was released in May 2010, and quickly gained widespread adoption.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cardoza |first1=Christina |title=Inside the Robot Operating System, the robotics industry and the Open Source Robotics Foundation |url=https://sdtimes.com/drones/inside-the-robot-operating-system-the-robotics-industry-and-the-open-source-robotics-foundation/ |website=SD Times |date=21 December 2015 |access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref><ref name="history_ros">{{cite web |last1=Tellez |first1=Ricardo |title=A History of ROS (Robot Operating System) |url=https://www.theconstructsim.com/history-ros/ |website=The Construct |date=9 July 2019 |access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref> Willow Garage was gradually dissolved in the ensuing years into several spin-offs, including the Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF), which was created in May 2012 to continue to shepherd the development of ROS and the [Gazebo simulator](/source/Gazebo_simulator).<ref name="osrf_announced">{{cite web |last1=Ackerman |first1=Evan |title=Open Source Robotics Foundation Officially Announced |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/open-source-robotics-foundation-officially-announced |website=IEEE Spectrum |access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref>

OSRF's initial backers included [Willow Garage](/source/Willow_Garage)<ref name="osrf_announced" /> and [DARPA](/source/DARPA), which awarded OSRF its first contract to support open source simulation software for the [DARPA Robotics Challenge](/source/DARPA_Robotics_Challenge).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ackerman |first1=Evan |title=DARPA Awards Simulation Software Contract to Open Source Robotics Foundation |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/darpa-robotics-challenge-simulation-software-open-source-robotics-foundation |website=IEEE |access-date=12 December 2020}}</ref> In subsequent years, OSRF also provided support for [NASA](/source/NASA)'s Space Robotics challenge<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hambuchen |first1=Kimberly |title=NASA's Space Robotics Challenge: Advancing Robotics for Future Exploration Missions |journal=AIAA SPACE and Astronautics Forum and Exposition |date=15 Sep 2017 |doi=10.2514/6.2017-5120|isbn=978-1-62410-483-1 }}</ref> and the DARPA Subterranean Challenge.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Chung |first1=Timothy |title=DARPA Subterranean (SubT) Challenge |url=https://www.darpa.mil/program/darpa-subterranean-challenge |website=DARPA |access-date=12 December 2020}}</ref>

In September 2016, a taxable subsidiary named the Open Source Robotics Corporation (OSRC) was created to foster greater collaboration with industry.<ref name="home_page">{{cite web |last1=Gerkey |first1=Brian |title=Welcome to Open Robotics |url=https://www.osrfoundation.org/welcome-to-open-robotics/ |website=Open Robotics |access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref> Together with OSRF, these two organizations came to be officially known as Open Robotics in May 2017.<ref name="home_page" /> In 2018, Open Robotics opened its first overseas office in [Singapore](/source/Singapore),<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gerkey |first1=Brian |title=New office: Singapore |url=https://www.osrfoundation.org/new-office-singapore/ |website=Open Source Robotics Foundation |access-date=5 December 2020}}</ref> and announced its collaboration with the Singapore Government to work on robotics applications for the healthcare sector.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Sharon |first1=Alita |title=Minister Gan Kim Yong announces development of Singapore's first Robotics Middleware Framework at National Health IT Summit |url=https://opengovasia.com/minister-gan-kim-yong-announces-development-of-singapores-first-robotics-middleware-framework-at-national-health-it-summit/ |website=OpenGov Asia |access-date=5 December 2020 |archive-date=16 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116021405/https://www.opengovasia.com/minister-gan-kim-yong-announces-development-of-singapores-first-robotics-middleware-framework-at-national-health-it-summit/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In December 2022, OSRC and OSRC-SG (the Singapore entity) were acquired by Intrinsic, a subsidiary of [Alphabet](/source/Alphabet_Inc.).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-15 |title=Alphabet's Intrinsic Acquires Majority of Open Robotics |url=https://spectrum.ieee.org/alphabet-intrinsic-open-robotics-acquisition |access-date=2022-12-15 |website=IEEE Spectrum |language=en}}</ref> OSRF remains an independent non-profit.

In April 15th, 2024 the [https://osralliance.org OSRA] (THE OPEN SOURCE Robotics Alliance) replaced the OSRC, the OSRC was sold to Intrinsic ''before'' the creation of the [https://osralliance.org OSRA] initiative, and both of those things are part of a single long-term plan by the OSRF to provide a stable future for ROS, Gazebo, Open-RMF, and the infrastructure that supports them.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [https://www.openrobotics.org/ Official website]
* [https://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-02-20/robotics-research-lab-willow-garage-shuts-down Ashlee Vance, Willow Garage's Last Days, Bloomberg Business, February 20, 2014.]

Category:Open Robotics
Category:Robotics companies of the United States
Category:Companies based in Mountain View, California
Category:Technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area
Category:Non-profit corporations

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Open Robotics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Robotics) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Robotics?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.