Robot Operating System
ROS is an open-source middleware framework maintained by Open Robotics that provides software libraries, drivers, and algorithms for building robot applications, serving developers, researchers, hobbyists, and industrial users globally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersRichmond, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Robot Operating System does
Robot Operating System (ROS) is an open-source set of software libraries, tools, and middleware for building robot applications. Founded in 2007 and maintained by Open Robotics from Richmond, United States, ROS provides drivers, state-of-the-art algorithms, and developer utilities that bridge heterogeneous hardware components with software applications in robotic systems, abstracting hardware complexity so developers can focus on application logic. The current generation runs as ROS 2, distributed across multiple long-term support and feature releases including Jazzy Jalisco (Ubuntu 24.04/Windows 10), Kilted (with native macOS Apple Silicon support), and Lyrical Luth (Ubuntu 26.04/Windows 11, supported until 2031).
Robot Operating System firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Robot Operating System
- Legal name
- Robot Operating System
- Website
- https://ros.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- ROS is an open-source middleware framework maintained by Open Robotics that provides software libraries, drivers, and algorithms for building robot applications, serving developers, researchers, hobbyists, and industrial users globally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Robot Operating System industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Robotics Middleware
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design Services (541512)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Robot Software, Autonomy Stacks & Simulation (ROS, digital twins) (HDAAAIAK)
Keywords
Where Robot Operating System is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Richmond
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Robot Operating System business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Open Source Software Distribution: ROS is distributed as free, open-source software with no direct revenue from the software itself. The project is maintained by Open Robotics which likely funds development through commercial services, consulting, and enterprise support offerings.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Robot Operating System product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Robot Operating System (ROS) is an open-source set of software libraries and tools for building robot applications. It functions as robotic middleware bridging hardware components and software applications, providing everything from device drivers to state-of-the-art algorithms, and powerful developer tools that enable real-time data processing and simplify integration of robotic systems. The framework is distributed free of charge under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 and supported across Ubuntu, Windows, and macOS (including Apple Silicon).
Product overview
Robot Operating System (ROS) is an open-source set of software libraries and tools for building robot applications. The product portfolio includes multiple ROS 2 long-term support (LTS) releases such as Jazzy Jalisco (targeted at Ubuntu 24.04 and Windows 10) and Lyrical Luth (targeted at Ubuntu 26.04 and Windows 11 with support until 2031), along with the recent ROS 2 Kilted release featuring native macOS Apple Silicon support. ROS provides drivers, state-of-the-art algorithms, and powerful developer tools for robotics projects.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ROS 2 Jazzy Jalisco Latest long-term support (LTS) distribution of ROS 2 targeted at Ubuntu 24.04 (Noble) and Windows 10, providing long-term support and stability for production robotics applications. Aimed at developers and enterprises building and deploying robot applications requiring an extended support window.
- ROS 2 Lyrical Luth Latest ROS 2 long-term distribution with support until 2031, targeted at Ubuntu 26.04 (Resolute) and Windows 11, with additional platform support to varying degrees. Designed for long-horizon robotics projects and enterprises that need multi-year support guarantees.
- ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju ROS 2 distribution featuring native support for macOS on Apple Silicon hardware. Targeted at Ubuntu 26.04 (Resolute) and Windows 11, with support until 2031. Aimed at developers working on macOS, particularly those using Apple Silicon Macs, who require first-class platform support.
Companies that use Robot Operating System
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Robot Operating System technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Robot Operating System partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- AMDminorAMD served as the video sponsor for ROSCon 2025. Their generous support made the ROSCon live stream and videos possible, demonstrating corporate sponsorship of the ROS community event.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Robot Operating System competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- NVIDIA (Isaac / Isaac ROS): NVIDIA offers the Isaac robotics platform and Isaac ROS, GPU-accelerated GEMs that run on top of ROS 2. It is a direct competitor providing an integrated hardware-plus-software robotics stack targeting production deployments in autonomous machines, where ROS as a standalone project competes for developer mindshare.
- MathWorks (MATLAB & Simulink): MathWorks offers MATLAB and Simulink with robotics-specific toolboxes used for algorithm development, simulation, and code generation for robotic systems. It competes with ROS for the same developer/R&D budgets in robotics, particularly in academia and industrial R&D.
- Microsoft (Azure Robotics / discontinued RDS lineage): Microsoft has historically operated in the robotics platform space (Robotics Developer Studio) and continues to expose robotics-relevant cloud services via Azure. It competes as a broader incumbent platform alternative for developers building robotics applications.
Emerging players
- Apex.AI: Apex.AI builds a safety-certified ROS-based operating system for autonomous vehicles and robotics. It directly extends the ROS ecosystem into production and safety-critical use cases (notably automotive), competing with the upstream ROS project's ability to serve those high-value verticals.
- PickNik Robotics: PickNik Robotics is a commercial services and tooling company built around the MoveIt motion planning framework for ROS. It represents the 'commercial layer' on top of the ROS ecosystem and competes for enterprise ROS support, custom development, and motion planning tooling budgets.
- Foxglove: Foxglove provides visualization, debugging, and data management tooling for ROS-based robotics development. It is a SaaS overlay on top of the ROS ecosystem that competes for tooling spend from professional robotics developers.
Direct peers
- Gazebo (Open Robotics): Gazebo is the simulation platform tightly integrated with ROS and now branded as part of the broader Open Robotics stack. It is the canonical robotics simulator paired with ROS and represents a complementary rather than competing technology within the same ecosystem governance.
- Husarion: Husarion builds ROS-based robot platforms (e.g., ROSbot) and turnkey robotics hardware for research and education. It is a direct downstream user of ROS and competes for the same research/education robotics budgets while relying on the ROS ecosystem.
- Robotis: Robotis manufactures robotic hardware (Dynamixel servos, humanoid platforms) tightly integrated with ROS and ROS 2. It is a direct ecosystem peer whose commercial hardware value is materially enabled by ROS support.
Others
- Open Source Robotics Corporation / Open Robotics: Open Robotics is the sponsoring organization that maintains ROS and Gazebo. It is not a commercial competitor but the institutional steward of the ROS project, holding copyright for the official website and branding and shaping governance and roadmap direction.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Robot Operating System social profiles
Digital presenceRobot Operating System financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Robot Operating System leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Robot Operating System funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Robot Operating System M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Robot Operating System
What does Robot Operating System do?
Robot Operating System (ROS) is an open-source set of software libraries and tools for building robot applications. It functions as robotic middleware bridging hardware components and software applications, providing everything from device drivers to state-of-the-art algorithms, and powerful developer tools that enable real-time data processing and simplify integration of robotic systems. The framework is distributed free of charge under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 and supported across Ubuntu, Windows, and macOS (including Apple Silicon).
Is Robot Operating System a public or private company?
Robot Operating System is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Robot Operating System founded?
Robot Operating System was founded in 2007. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Robot Operating System based?
Robot Operating System is headquartered in Richmond, United States, in the North America region.
How does Robot Operating System make money?
One revenue line is on record: open Source Software Distribution.
Who are Robot Operating System's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are NVIDIA (Isaac / Isaac ROS), MathWorks (MATLAB & Simulink) and Microsoft (Azure Robotics / discontinued RDS lineage). Emerging players are Apex.AI, PickNik Robotics and Foxglove. Direct peers are Gazebo (Open Robotics), Husarion and Robotis. Open Source Robotics Corporation / Open Robotics is listed as an others.
Does Robot Operating System have an API?
No public API is recorded for Robot Operating System.
What industry is Robot Operating System in?
Robot Operating System's product category is Robotics Middleware. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAIAK, Robot Software, Autonomy Stacks & Simulation (ROS, digital twins). Its NAICS code is 541512 and its SIC code is 7372.