OSRA: Pioneering a Sustainable Open Source Ecosystem for Robotics
Tue Mar 19 2024
In this episode, I chatted with Tully Foote, Open Source Lead at Intrinsic, and Geoff Biggs, CTO at Open Source Robotics Foundation, about the exciting new Open Source Robotics Alliance (OSRA). We dove into the history of open source robotics, from Willow Garage to ROS, and explored how OSRA is set to revolutionize the open source robotics ecosystem.
3 Ideas from the Interview
- OSRA is moving away from relying on a few full-time engineers to a model where hundreds of part-time contributors can sustainably support open source robotics projects.
- The new structure allows for more fractional contributions, making it easier for individuals and smaller companies to have a voice in the development of open source robotics software.
- OSRA is implementing a badging system to acknowledge contributors, which could help with job opportunities and visibility in the robotics community.
2 Quotes that Stood Out
"We want to move away from having just a few full time engineers at one company supporting the projects to where we have a hundred contributors, some of many of whom may be part time working on the projects." - Geoff Biggs
"The development velocity of your open source is amazing because you have this large pool of people, each one contributes a little bit and the whole, everyone moves forward at the rate of the sum of the contributions." - Tully Foote
1 Opportunity
While OSRA is focusing on governance and contribution structures, there's a clear opportunity for a company to develop comprehensive educational content and courses around open source robotics software. This could include interactive tutorials, project-based learning, and certification programs that align with OSRA's badging system. Such an initiative could help bridge the gap between newcomers and experienced contributors, accelerating the growth of the open source robotics community.