Open-source robotics

Nearly all of the hardware and software in the Orb swarm project is open source

Open-source robotics (OSR), is a branch of robotics where the physical artifacts of the subject are offered by the open design movement. This open design movement applied to the field of robotics makes use of open-source hardware and free and open source software providing blueprints, schematics, and source code. The term usually means that information about the hardware is easily discerned so that others can make it - coupling it closely to the maker movement.^[1]

Current projects

Full robot projects

Name	Description	Type
Ardumower[2]	open-source robotic lawn mower based on Arduino Mega	-
ArduPilot[3]	Flying robot frameworks with hardware and software based on Arduino, an Open-source hardware platform.	Quadcopter and UAV
Autobed[4]	Web-controlled robotic bed developed by the Healthcare Robotics Lab at Georgia Tech.[5]	Robotic bed
DARwIn-OP	-	Humanoid
DoraBot[6]	DORA Open Source Robotic Assistant, opensource general purpose service robot. Project last updated in 2012.[7]	General Purpose
DroidBot	Android Robot controlled over Bluetooth by App Inventor[8]	Arduino components
e-puck mobile robot	An open-hardware, education oriented, mobile robot.	education
Hexy[9]	Open-Source, Low-Cost Hexapod Kit[10]	Hexapod
Leaf Project[11]	-	-
LH001[12]	Open Hardware Medical-Research liquid handling robot. Project last updated 2011.[13]	Liquid Handling
Makelangelo	A polargraph mural drawing robot made to safely teach CNC basics in the classroom	Education
MeArm[14]	Low cost and accessible robot arm	Robot Arm
Molecubes	Open source modular robotics[15][16]	Modular design
multiplo	Building system with open-source hardware, electronics, software and documentation for prototyping robots[17]	-
NimbRo-OP[18]	-	humanoid
OHMM[19]	Open-hardware mobile manipulator	-
OSRA[20]	Oomlout Open-source robotic arm.	Robot Arm
Open Automaton Project[21]	-	-
OpenPilot	Flying robot framework with hardware and software based on STM32 microcontroller
OpenRAVE	-	-
OpenROV[22]	Open-source underwater robot	education and exploration
Open-source Micro-robotic Project	An open-source space swarm robot project.	-
Paparazzi Project	Flying robot framework with hardware and software based on the Lisa/S chip
Poppy-project[23]	The Poppy project aims at building an Open-source humanoid platform based on robust, flexible, easy-to-use hardware and software. Excellent documentation[24]	Education, Research, Humanoid
PX4 autopilot	Flying robot framework with hardware and software based on the STM32F427 Cortex M4 core with FPU
Q.bo[25]	-	-
Qwerkbot[26]	Simple open-source robot from Carnegie Mellon University	-
RepRap	3D printer robot	3D printer
RobotCub	Including iCub	-
r-One[27]	An Advanced, Low-Cost Robot for Research, Teaching, and Outreach	Education
Salvius[28]	Open-source humanoid robot project, made from salvaged junk parts.[29] Started in 2008, last updated May 2016.	Humanoid
Slugs	Flying robot framework with hardware and software
Sparki[30]	Introductory arduino-powered robot.[31]	Education
Sparky Jr.	Mobile Telepresence Research Project, Est. 1994[32]	-
Thymio[33]	Thymio is an educative robot with two wheels and many sensors programmed with Aseba	Education.
Tingu	Open-source humanoid robot project.	humanoid
Willow Garage	-	-
Open Robot Hardware	Open Robot Hardware is intended to serve as a resource for efforts focusing on Open and Open Source mechanical and electrical hardware, with a particular focus on projects that may be useful in robotics applications, robotics research and education.[34]	Open-Source Initiative/Community
Arduino Robot	The Arduino Robot is the first official Arduino on wheels[35]	Arduino based.
Balanduino	Arduino-compatible based on Arduino.[36] Licensed under BY-NC-SA, which is not compatible with the Open-source hardware definition. Bluetooth ready. Android app.	Self-balancing robot
Yale Open Hand Project[37]	Customizable, 3D-printed, adaptive robotic hand from Yale University.[38] Comprehensive documentation is available but CC-BY-NC license not compatible with the Open-source hardware definition.	Robot Hands
InMoov[39]	An open-hardware and open-source 3D printed life-size humanoid robot. As software MyRobotLab[40] is used. Comprehensive documentation is available but CC-BY-NC license not compatible with the Open-source hardware definition.	Humanoid
Orb Swarm[41]	Kinetic art: autonomous spherical robots exhibiting complex motion. Project last active May 2013. Open software but no comprehensive list of hardware parts. Not compatible with the Open-source hardware definition.	Exhibition-

Open-source software

• App Inventor for Android
• BlueBots,^[42] free bluetooth remote for custom bluetooth projects, such as robotics. Works with Arduino (as Arduino Mega).
• Amarino, a toolkit, basically consisting of an Android application and an Arduino library.^[43][44]
• NXJ An open-source Java programming environment for the Lego NXT robot kit (http://lejos.sourceforge.net/)
• CLARAty Robotics software developed by JPL as part of the Mars program.
• ROS (Robot Operating System) (open-source BSD software running on 50+ robots ^[45])
• URBI^[46] (C++ distributed/embedded components framework + parallel/event-driven orchestration script language)
• Player (robot framework)
• Orocos, C++ framework for component-based robot control software
• Rock (the Robot Construction Kit) (Software integration framework for robotic systems based on Orocos/RTT.)
• Orca (robot framework)
• MOOS (robot framework)
• MyRobotLab (robot framework)
• RoboComp (robot framework)
• RUBICS
• CARMEN (robot simulator)
• TeamBots (robot simulator)
• Open Dynamics Engine (physics engine for modelling articulated rigid-body dynamics)
• Open Platform for Robotic Services.
• ROS (Robot Operating System) provides libraries and tools to help software developers create robot applications. It provides hardware abstraction, device drivers, libraries, visualizers, message-passing, package management and more. ROS is licensed under an open source, BSD license.^[47]
• Robot Overlord a open source Java / OpenGL multi-robot simulator.
• Simbad robot simulator (robot simulator)
• Gazebo (multi-robot simulator)
• STDR Simulator (multi-robot 2D simulator)
• Dave's Robotic Operating System
• Sparky Telepresence Controller
• Home brew robot software running on the consumer robotic platform Spykee
• OpenJAUS (robot / unmanned systems framework)
• RI-JAUS SDK A cross-platform, GPL-licensed C++ SDK implementing the JAUS protocol for robot control.
• OpenRTM-aist (robotics technology middleware)
• Open Platform for Robotic Services Component based framework, GUI editors in Eclipse and a Simulator, OPRoS Components
• miniBloq a graphical programming interface that allows to program robotic boards (Arduino Compatibles) without previous knowledge of programming^[48]
• Artoo a Ruby microframework for robotics and physical computing
• EEROS, an Easy, Elegant, Reliable, Open and Safe Real-Time Robotics Software Framework
• LSTS Toolchain is a set of tools and frameworks for the development of Networked Robot Systems.

Open-source hardware

• Make Controller Kit
• Motherboards with open-hardware CPU
  • Based in Arduino^[49] (Arduino Mega) and using AIDE (Arduino Software IDE).^[50] Can include Bluetooth4arduino^[51] and Magician Chassis^[52] / Ardumoto ^[53][54]
  • Based in Raspberry Pi ^[55]
• The Rossum project open-sources certain robotic modules and tools (mappers, robot simulators, encoder designers, ...)

Advantages

• Lower-cost. Costs of a robot can be decreased dramatically with prominent examples being the robots being built by Hanson ($300) and project aiko ($25000)
• Interchangeable software and/or hardware

Popularity

A first sign of the increasing popularity of building robots yourself can be found with the DIY community. What began with small competitions for remote operated vehicles (e.g. Robot combat), soon developed to the building of autonomous telepresence robots as Sparky and then true robots (being able to take decisions themselves) as the Open Automaton Project and Leaf Project. Certain commercial companies now also produce kits for making simple robots.

Uses

At present, open-source robots are not yet sophisticated enough to perform much of the tasks a person can do, nor perform difficult or complicated tasks that only robots may—one day—provide; this being:

• metalworks (precise metal sheets and pipe-bending, sheet/pipe cutting; e.g. via Multimachine and/or other embedded tools as cramps, pliers, ...)
• translator for many languages (including the main languages as Mandarin, English, Spanish, Bengali, Hindi, etc.)
• calorie-counter for the robot-owner; counting the calories of food items the owner eats and preventing him from eating more that day when he reaches 2000 kcal
• building electronic circuitry (PCB-boards)
• transportation; this e.g. by riding on the back, similar as on a horse (the latter allowing the robot to return to the appearance of a normal person after disembarking)
• personal protection (robots, being made of metal, are able to withstand quite some beating and may be taught to incapacitate attackers by punching or Less-lethal weapons^[56])
• bomb disposal and/or the making of explosive compounds for bomb disposal (e.g. on the owner's farming fields e.g. in developing countries as Cambodia, countries south and north of the sahara as Angola, Western Sahara, Libia, ..) or destruction of obstacles or to prepare building sites
• providing communication through a small computer (e.g. Linutop, EeeBox, gPC, and integrated satellite Internet uplink or long-range Wi-Fi or WiMAX-antenna). The type of communication may include: active searching on webpages (browsing), e-mail, text and or audio based communication with others (e.g. VoIP calls; both to distant users via Internet as local VoIP-communication to team members in close proximity), ...
• The use of RepRaps and other 3-D printers for rapid prototyping, art, toy manufacturing, educational aides, and open-source appropriate technology

Despite this however, some DIY builders are already looking to helpful activities that can be performed today as vacuum cleaning, floor washing and automated mowing.^[57][58]

See also

• Accelerometer
• Bluetooth
• How-to
• Internet of Things
• Khepera mobile robot III
• Maker culture
• Modular design
• Open-source computing hardware
• OpenStructures
• Pulse-width modulation (PWM)
• Phase-change material
• Robot software
• Robotics suite
• WiDi

References

1. Gibb, Alicia (2015). Building Open Source Hardware: DIY Manufacturing for Hackers and Makers. New York. pp. 253–277.
2. Markus. "Welcome to ArduMower.de". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
3. "ArduPilot: Flying robot project (Source Files)". Retrieved 22 June 2016.
4. "Autobed: A Web-Controlled Robotic Bed (Source Files)". Retrieved 21 June 2016.
5. Autobed
6. "DoraBot: Open Source Robot Assistant (Source Files)". Retrieved 21 June 2016.
7. "Dorabot - Robots for Everyone". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
8. My Droid Robot controlled by App Inventor
9. "Hexy: Open Source DIY Robot Kit (Source Files)". Retrieved 21 June 2016.
10. "Hexy – Open Source Low Cost Fully Articulating DIY Robot Kit". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
11. "Home Page". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
12. "LH001: High Throughput Liquid Handling Robot (Source Files)". Retrieved 21 June 2016.
13. "carlcrott/LH001 · GitHub". GitHub. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
14. "MeArm: Flat Pack Open Source Robot Arm Kit (Source Files)". Retrieved 22 June 2016.
15. Researchers build a robot that can reproduce
16. Molecubes - Open Source Modular Robotics
17. "Multiplo - Open source robotics building system". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
18. "NimbRo-OP Humanoid Open Platform". Retrieved 19 January 2015.
19. "Open Hardware Mobile Manipulator (OHMM)". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
20. "Oomlout Open-source Robotic Arm". Retrieved 22 June 2016.
21. "Open Automaton Project". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
22. "OPENROV". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
23. "Poppy Project". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
24. "Poppy Project Documentation (Source Files)". Retrieved 22 June 2016.
25. "Thecorpora S.L.". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
26. http://www.terk.ri.cmu.edu/recipes/qwerkbot-classic/
27. "r-one - Multi-Robot Systems Lab - Rice University, Houston TX". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
28. "Salvius: Humaniod Robot Built from Salvage (Source Files)". Retrieved 21 June 2016.
29. "Salvius the Robot". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
30. "Sparki: Low Cost Educational Robot (Source Files)". Retrieved 21 June 2016.
31. "Sparki – The Easy Robot for Everyone". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
32. "Sparky JR - sparky the dog". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
33. "Thymio Specifications (Source Files)". Retrieved 21 June 2016.
34. "Open Robot Hardware – Open Robot Hardware is intended to serve as a resource for efforts focusing on Open and Open Source mechanical and electrical hardware, with a particular focus on projects that may be useful in robotics applications, robotics research and education.". Retrieved 4 December 2014.
35. Arduino Robot. Licensing information and source files are not currently stated nor easily found. Not compatible with the Open-source hardware definition.
38. "Yale Open Hand Project – Customizable, 3D-printed, adaptive robotic hand from Yale University.". GrabLab, Yale University. Retrieved 4 December 2014.
39. "InMoov » open-source 3D printed life-size robot". Retrieved 14 December 2014.
40. "MyRobotlab website". myrobotlab.org. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
41. "OrbSWARM". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
42. BlueBots on Google Play.
43. Amarino
44. Android accelerometer/ Bluetooth / Arduino controlled robot.
45. "Robots - ROS Wiki". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
46. "Gostai Urbi goes open source". ZDNet. 20 August 2010. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
47. ROS.
48. Julián da Silva Gillig. "Minibloq". Retrieved 13 September 2014.
49. Arduino Robotics Tutorials
50. Arduino Software
51. How to control Arduino board using an Android phone.
52. Magician Chassis
53. Ardumoto.
54. Ardumoto- Motor Driver Shield
55. Raspberry Pi robots
56. "Tmsuk security robots". Engadget. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
57. "DIY commercial vacuum robot". The Red Ferret Journal. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
58. "DIY Roomba preposition on Arduino motherboard". Retrieved 13 September 2014.

External links

• DIY Linux robots
• Carnegie Mellon DIY Robots
• Contraptor.
• Open Source Robotics Foundation.
• Open Source Hardware Association.