Robot Software ROS Gets Big Updates: What It Means for You

Last week, the global robot software community gathered in Toronto for ROSCon 2026. ROS (Robot Operating System) is a free, open-source set of tools that helps robots function—think of it as the Android for robots. At the event, several big announcements were made that could speed up how robots are built and used in warehouses, hospitals, and even homes. Intrinsic, a company spun out of Google, released Intrinsic Open Core, which gives developers a free foundation to build robot apps. PickNik Robotics and Qualcomm merged, combining expertise in robot arms and powerful chips. Red Hat Enterprise Linux was elevated to a Tier 1 ROS operating system, meaning it's now officially supported for industrial robots. NVIDIA released Isaac ROS 5, a toolkit that helps robots see and navigate using AI.

In other news, a new open-source robot called Orion was unveiled. It's a small, four-legged robot (like a robotic dog) that comes with stereo cameras, a LIDAR sensor (which uses lasers to map surroundings), and an NVIDIA Jetson computer. This allows it to run advanced navigation software out of the box. Unlike many hobby robots, Orion is designed for full autonomy, meaning it can move around on its own. This could make it easier for researchers and hobbyists to experiment with robot navigation.

For those who work with robots, Clearpath Robotics open-sourced a workshop on configuring ROS middleware—the part that helps different robot components talk to each other. This self-guided course could save engineers hours of trial and error. Finally, the next ROSCon will be held in Krakow, Poland, in 2027, and videos from this year's event will be available online in a few weeks. The annual developer survey is also open, and participants can win free t-shirts. Your feedback helps shape the future of robot software.