[ros-users] [Discourse.ros.org] [ROS-Industrial] Fully Open Source (Industrial) Robotics Controller

[Victor Lamoine]

Very nice and exciting topic! I would love to make a robot and understand everything about how it works :slight_smile:

>From my experience the only thing that makes a robot industrial is the fact that companies are able to buy it and legally use it (certifications / safety). It's not about weight, payload, speed, range, being collaborative or even how the maintenance will be done, these are to be discussed after a certification is issued.

The dream robot for me would be:
- Open source hardware
  - Mechanics (dimensioning, CAD / drawings, most interchangeable parts as possible)
  - Electronics (CAD / BOM)
- Open source software
  - ROS native
  - Access to the closed-loop control (monitoring, configuring etc.) 
- Certified

I think there is a real marker opportunity in making cheap capable robots, robots that do not cost much (mechanics, electronics) but have nice software inside, which would easily allow tasks that known industrial robots struggle with (vision etc.).

For every robot that I have used so far the problem was always in the software:
- Not being able to run tasks concurrently
- Robot not following the setpoint (not because of the mechanics)
- Missing (paid) options
- Low memory
- ROS driver not exposing all controller functions
- And the list goes on...

I think one big barrier is the mechanics cost: making a decent robot is complicated and expensive.
There is already a lot of open source robots that can be 3D printed, however most of them use stepper motors or servomotors which may not be the best if scaling up the robot. It could be a great start using these projects with AC or DC servos instead of servomotors.

I can help for:
- The mechanics
- The software (from real time to GUI)





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