AWS launches RoboMaker, Helps You Build Robots Quickly

AWS (Amazon Web Services) has launched AWS RoboMaker, a new cloud service for developers to develop, test, and deploy robotics applications, as well as build intelligent robotics functions using its cloud services.

For this services, AWS has chosen Robot Operating System (ROS) and integrated the same with its cloud environment as an AWS cloud service named RoboMaker. AWS integration of Robot Operating System (ROS) will help developers leverage other AWS's cloud services such as machine learning, monitoring, and analytics services to enable a robot to stream data, navigate, communicate, comprehend and learn.

Brief about RoboMaker

AWS RoboMaker is an AWS Cloud9-based robotics integrated development environment for application development, robotics simulation to accelerate application testing, and fleet management for remote application deployment, update, and management.

RoboMaker service help in quickly setting up a development environment, creating realistic simulators to test robotics applications in multiple virtual environments etc. These activities might take months to build the software and infrastructure.

Now developer simply kicks off services through AWS Management console AWS RoboMaker will also provide cloud extensions for ROS. The underlying infrastructure is provisioned by downloading, compiling, and configuring the operating system, development software, and ROS. These extensions will include Amazon Kinesis Video Streams ingestion, Amazon Rekognition image, and video analysis, Amazon Lex speech recognition, Amazon Polly speech generation, and Amazon CloudWatch logging and monitoring.

It also supports fleet management that integrates with AWS Greengrass. Over-the-air (OTA) support ensures that deployment of robotics applications onto the robots directly from the robotics development environment.

Executive Opinion

General Manager, AWS RoboMaker, Roger Barga, said, “When talking to our customers, we see the same pattern repeated over and again. They spend a lot of time setting up infrastructure and cobbling together software for different stages of the robotics development cycle, repeating work others have done before, leaving less time for innovation.AWS RoboMaker provides pre-built functionality to support robotics developers during their entire project, making it significantly easier to build robots, simulate performance in various environments, iterate faster, and drive greater innovation.”

VP and Distinguished Engineer, Robotics at Amazon, Brad Porter, said, “We regularly evaluate how we can use new technology to bring our customers a better experience. Robotics has played a significant role in creating global solutions that help faster deliveries and lower costs for our customers. We’re excited to have supported the creation of AWS RoboMaker and to stand behind a service that will help accelerate robotics development and commercial deployments. We believe AWS RoboMaker will be impactful to advanced robotics operations across the world by greatly decreasing cost and time to production.”

Open Source Contribution

AWS has released source code and documentation of the AWS RoboMaker cloud extensions for ROS publicly available under the terms of the Apache Software License 2.0.  Part of ROS2 Technical Steering Committee, AWS also involved in the development of ROS2 (a new version of ROS) and contributed to real-time messaging, security, and authentication. AWS also helped robotics community to migrate source code packages from ROS1 to ROS2.

Availability

Currently, AWS RoboMaker is available in US East (N. Virginia), US West (Oregon), EU (Ireland).
AWS will further expand RoboMaker's footprint to other regions in the coming year, the announcement further noted.