Page 48 - EE Times Europe March 2022

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AUTOMOTIVE SOFTWARE
Apex.AI and ROS: Growing Automotive Impact

By Egil Juliussen

Robotic Operating System (ROS) Overview
ultiple segments of the auto- Topic Key Information Other Information
motive industry have embraced • Middleware suite for autonomous-robotic devices • ROS is not an operating system
open-source software, especially • ROS has middleware functions (also is part of an OS) • Needs to work with a real-time OS
MLinux-based code, over the past What is ROS? • Features for autonomous-robotic sensors and tasks • Including software-development tools
• Traditional open-source strength
• Development-centric to build ROS ecosystem
decade. Here, we focus on an open framework • Focus on integration, simulation, and digital twins • Key languages: Python, C++, Lisp
called the robotic operating system (ROS). • ROS 1 (seven releases): Last release in May 2020 • Legacy system: Replaced by ROS 2
Apex.AI is leveraging ROS, adding new auto- ROS products • ROS 2 (seven releases): Latest version in June 2020 • Product name: Rolling Ridley
• Ignition (five releases): Robotic simulation tools
motive capabilities. • Gazebo (11 releases): 3D simulation environment • Simulation libraries and cloud services
• Simulation of robotics, obstacles, etc.
ROS has been around for more than a decade • Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF) founded in 2012;
and is increasingly used by autonomous- What is ROS nonprofit 501c • Incorporated in California
• 70+ customer organizations
vehicle (AV) developers. Apex.AI has greatly organization? • Changed name to Open Robotics: 50+ employees • 10 are major high-tech companies
improved ROS for automotive applications. • Steering committee: 19 members
• Pre-cursor at Stanford University before 2007
• Pre-cursor to ROS
With its focus on the automotive industry and • Updated and improved: Willow Garage (2007–2013) • Vision of “Linux for robotics”
software-defined vehicles, the company is ROS history • First ROS version released in March 2010 • Called ROS Box Turtle
gaining support, making it a future player in • Transferred to OSRF in 2013 • New name in 2017: Open Robotics
AV development and a likely acquisition target. Industry focus • Aerospace, automotive, health care • Logistics and maritime
ROS is a software framework focused on (Source: Egil Juliussen, January 2022)
developing systems and applications for
robotic products, including most types of 3. Packages with application-related code sentatives from Amazon, Bosch, Intel, LG
autonomous systems — terrestrial, airborne, that use one or more ROS client libraries Electronics, Microsoft, Samsung, Sony, Toyota
and seaborne. The table at right provides an Both language-independent tools and the Research Institute, Ubuntu, and Wind River.
overview of ROS. Sources include the Open main client libraries (C++, Python, Lisp) are Apex.AI is also a steering committee member.
Robotics website (www.openrobotics.org). released under license and are free for both An early version of ROS was developed
commercial use and research. by students at Stanford University, some
ROS middleware is focused on The final version of ROS 1 was released of whom later launched Willow Garage to

building a software ecosystem in May 2020. ROS 2 is greatly improved, continue ROS development. Willow Garage
released its first ROS version in March 2010,
leveraging a large ecosystem of software
for autonomous and robotic libraries and development tools to build attracting a large number of university devel-
opers in the U.S. and elsewhere.
robotic applications.
devices. This development- The second-generation version incor- In February 2013, OSRF took over ROS
centric approach leverages porates a new API that supports real-time development. Since then, Open Robotics has
programming and a wider variety of comput-
expanded the ROS ecosystem and updated the
the traditional strengths of ing environments. software technology.
Open Robotics is currently focused on five
ROS Ignition includes robotic tools such as
open-source development. simulation libraries and cloud services. Five industry sectors: aerospace, automotive,
Ignition versions have been released. Another health care, logistics, and maritime.
simulation development tool, Gazebo, is
ROS DEFINED focused on 3D simulations with robotic APEX.AI
ROS is not an operating system, as it does devices, obstacles, and other scenarios. Apex.AI was founded in 2017 in Palo Alto,
not control and manage hardware resources Gazebo is on its 11th version. California, with offices in Berlin, Munich,
— the key function of an OS. Instead, ROS ROS also provides services such as low-level and Stuttgart, Germany. It has received more
works with an OS, preferably a real-time device control, hardware abstraction, message than US$70 million in funding, including
operating system. passing between processes, and package man- investments from Airbus Ventures,
ROS encompasses many functions that agement. Software development processes Continental, Hella, Jaguar Land Rover,
are included in middleware. ROS middleware can be represented as a graph architecture. Toyota, Volvo Group, and ZF, according to
is focused on building a software ecosystem for the company’s website (www.apex.ai).
autonomous and robotic devices. This ROS HISTORY CEO Jan Becker has more than 20 years of
development-centric approach leverages The Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF) AV experience. Becker was a member of the
the traditional strengths of open-source was established in 2012 as a California cor- Stanford team competing in the 2007 Darpa
development. poration. OSRF is a nonprofit, public benefit Urban Challenge. Later, he headed autono-
Software in the ROS ecosystem falls into entity and tax-exempt charity under IRS mous driving development at Bosch North
three categories: Section 501c. A subsidiary in Singapore America. He was also a co-author of the SAE
1. Language- and platform-independent focuses on the regional development commu- autonomy level definitions.
tools for developing and distributing nity. In 2017, the foundation changed its name Becker has lectured at Stanford University
ROS-based software to Open Robotics. Since then, it has grown to for more than 15 years, focusing on AVs and
2. ROS client library implementations for more than 50 employees. ADAS technologies.
key languages such as Python, C++, Open Robotics is guided by a 19-member CTO Dejan Pangercic, who coordinates
and Lisp steering committee that includes repre- development activities at Apex.AI, has more

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