The Free Software Behind Many Robots Wants Your Opinion

Open Robotics, a nonprofit that builds free software for robots, has launched its first-ever annual survey. The software in question — ROS, Gazebo, Space ROS, and others — is the plumbing that lets robots sense, move, and talk to each other. It's free to use, and it quietly powers warehouse robots, delivery bots, farm equipment, and university research labs around the world. Think of it as the Android of robotics: most people have never heard of it, but a lot of machines depend on it.

Why should you care if you don't own a robot? Because the people building the robots heading toward your neighborhood, your grocery store, and eventually your home are making decisions based on this software. If the tools are clunky, robots get more expensive and slower to arrive. If they're good, robots get cheaper and more capable. Open Robotics admits it knows plenty about its code but very little about the humans using it — what they rely on daily, what's broken, and why some people give up entirely.

Here's the unusual part: they genuinely want non-users too. If you've never touched ROS, tried Gazebo and abandoned it, or think this whole thing isn't for you, they still want your answers. Every individual counts, not just one response per company. The survey runs until November 30, 2026, and everyone who finishes can enter a prize draw — 50 winners get an item of their choice from the Open Robotics store.

The catch is the time commitment. One commenter on the announcement summed it up with a single word: "Oof. 35 minutes. But it's done!" A moderator thanked them and admitted, "We know it's long, but there's a lot we don't know." So if you're not in robotics and not curious about it, this probably isn't your evening. But if you are, it's a rare chance to steer a tool that a lot of future machines will run on.