For more than a decade, some of the more interesting work in the field of robotics has been driven by open source efforts. Open source robotics platforms have flourished, but they’ve also been fragmented, with software and hardware designs produced all around the world that have little to do with each other. That’s why it’s so promising that the folks behind Willow Garage–a robotics project that originated at Stanford University–have announced the Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF). We covered the initial details surrounding the foundation here, and now more information is beginning to appear at the OSRF site.
At least 25 institutions are developing robotics applications on Willow Garage’s own open robotics platform, but Willow garage announced the launch of the Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF) to help foster all kinds of robotics work.
According to the OSRF announcement:
“The OSRF is an independent, non-profit organization founded by members of the global robotics community. Their mission is to support the development, distribution, and adoption of open source software for use in robotics research, education, and product development. In conjunction with the formation of the OSRF, the Board of Directors was also announced. The Board of Directors comprises a worldwide collection of educators, leaders and visionaries in the field of robotics.”
