As part of Viam’s efforts to help support growth and creativity in the greater robotics community, we are happy to announce that Viam is now an official member of the Open Source Robotics Alliance (OSRA).
Joining OSRA marks an important step forward in demonstrating Viam’s dedication to advancing open-source projects, and aligns with our mission to promote interoperability in robotics across heterogeneous hardware ecosystems.
Democratizing robotics through open source
The Open Source Robotics Foundation launched OSRA earlier this year as part of its efforts to assist with the buildout and maintenance of open-source robotics projects. It is similar to organizations like the Apache Software Foundation in that it seeks to decentralize innovation and provide neutral ground for technical progress.
This notion of industry-wide collaboration resonates deeply with Viam’s goal to make robotics accessible to the widest possible pool of creators, developers, and engineers.
Removing barriers to machine interoperability
Philosophically, at Viam we believe that open source software is better at fostering innovation than proprietary software. The diverse community around open source software brings a broader range of expertise into the development process. The transparency of open source software’s code accelerates experimentation and iteration. Additionally, the flexibility of open source means that developers can better tailor software to their individual needs and interests with fewer obstacles.
The same principles also apply to open source robotics. As the landscape evolves for robot makers and users, disparate technology makes it a challenge to ensure that any given task has the best possible machine and components for the job. Varied data formats and platforms make it difficult for machines to share information with one another that could optimize their performance.
Silos by manufacturer, software platform, and data type ultimately create inefficiencies that waste time, resources, and energy, while also making it needlessly complicated to update older machines with the latest technology.
At Viam, our focus is on breaking down these barriers to accessibility, making robotics more inclusive and less intimidating. One of our chief objectives towards that end is to equip more engineers to leverage their software programming skills in building and managing useful robots, and we look forward to working with OSRA to help make this happen.
Through initiatives like our Modular Registry, an open-source marketplace that enables adding any component or service to any machine, we endeavor to simplify interaction with robotics and machine design while also allowing developers to utilize their preferred programming languages on hardware.
We see the ideal open source end state of robotics as any machine being universally compatible with any other machine, and able to share data or take action in coordination with any other machine’s hardware or software.
This sort of interoperability will be crucial to ensuring that robots can safely perform increasingly complex tasks in conjunction with people and other machines as automation technology continues to rapidly mature.
Creating a glide path to easier automation
Beyond traditional robots, there are also any number of machines that can combine perception of their environment through a sensor or camera with some kind of compute and actuation that allows them to respond to the physical world.
That broad definition encompasses a lot of machines, from industrial equipment to household appliances. By applying principles of robotics to a broader array of devices, Viam looks to streamline automation and enhance daily life in meaningful ways.
Our emphasis on fleet and data management underscores our commitment to simplifying the entire lifecycle of robotics and smart machines. Whether monitoring existing machinery or conceptualizing new innovations, Viam's open-source architecture aspires to empower developers to automate tasks efficiently and responsibly across the wide range of devices their companies manage.
Through our collaboration with OSRA and its fellow members, we are committed to shaping a future where robotics and other smart machines can thrive in an open-source environment. We hope you’ll join us on this journey towards building a more extensive and dynamic robotics community.
