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Completed TRL 4 (started at 4, targeting 5)
Support the Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF) in the continued development of the Robot Operating System (ROS), Gazebo, and other open source robotics software used by NASA and the robotics community. Designed for both robotics researchers and application developers, ROS is already widely used around the world in classrooms, labs, and companies, and is used on a number of robotic assets across NASA, including the operating system for controlling the ISS IVA legs for Robonaut 2. Gazebo is used for simulating robots on the ground during development, and is used for R2 simulations.
Under this grant, OSRF will improve, test, distribute, and support the Robot Operating System (ROS), the robot simulation software, Gazebo, and other open source robotics software used by NASA and the robotics community. The OSRF will focus development on the following critical, presently under-served, areas:
The fully matured software release will provide NASA and the worldwide robotics community with freely available open source tools that will enable a generation of robotics students, developers, entrepreneurs, and enthusiasts to more quickly and easily realize their aspirations. Just as the availability of the open source LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and Perl/PHP/Python) enabled the internet revolution in the 1990’s, the software resulting from this project has the potential to revolutionize the robotics industry, producing an environment that fosters a kind of innovation that we cannot fully anticipate today.
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This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.
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