This week marks the third anniversary of ROS (Robot Operating System), an open-source software platform for the robotics industry developed by Stanford and Silicon Valley robotics research lab Willow Garage. In that short time, ROS has skyrocketed in popularity. Robot hardware manufacturers, commercial research labs, and software companies are all adopting the platform.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1701076/the-future-of-open-source-personal-r…
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There are more than 50 public ROS repositories featuring open-source libraries and tools, more than 1,600 software packages, and at least 50 robots around the world using the platform, including underwater vehicles, boats, space rovers, lawnmowers, helicopters, cars, indoor robots, outdoor robots
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Want to see ROS-powered robots in action?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cslPMzklVo