ROS Is Boss: NVIDIA and Partners Bring AI to Global Robotics Developer Community

Three ROSCon events over the next three months will showcase the importance of the Robot Operating System ecosystem for AI robotics development.
by Kalyan Vadrevu

At three events in the coming months, robotics developers from around the world will have the opportunity to see the latest breakthroughs regarding what NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang recently described as the “three computers” needed for advanced robot development.

Taking place in Japan, Denmark and China, the events are part of ROSCon, a series of global conferences aimed at engaging developers in the Robot Operating System (ROS) community.

Robotics developers of all skill levels will be able to learn from and network with the ROS community and delve into the latest advancements with regard to each of the three computers: one to train AI, one to test it in a physically accurate simulation and another within robots themselves.

The ROS ecosystem has played a critical role in making robot run-time software — an essential building block for the third computer, the one inside the physical robot.

The three ROSCon events will take place:

  • Sept. 25, in Tokyo
  • Oct. 21-23, in Odense, Denmark
  • TBD, in China

During these events, NVIDIA will show how it’s speeding the growth of the ROS ecosystem​ as an open-source contributor, supporter and collaborator with businesses, researchers and academics around the world who are working to advance AI robotics. One example of this came earlier this year with the creation of the Open Source Robotics Alliance, which NVIDIA joined as an inaugural platinum-level member, in support of driving robotics innovation.

ROSCon attendees will learn about the latest news and updates to the NVIDIA Isaac robotics platform, including Isaac ROS,​ which is built on the robust, open-source ROS 2 software framework. These updates will allow for rapid expansion of ROS across industries, including manufacturing, automotive, factories and retail, and supply chains.

There will also be updates for Isaac Sim and Isaac Lab, along with announcements about new NVIDIA NIM microservices to help quickly deploy new generative AI models.

ROS community members and partners, including Canonical, Ekumen, Foxglove, Intrinsic, Open Navigation, Open Robotics, ROS Industrial, Siemens and Teradyne, will be in Denmark presenting workshops, talks, booth demos and Birds of a Feather sessions. Consult the Denmark ROSCon program to build an agenda.

Some highlights of the upcoming ROSCon events include:

  • “How to Implement and Use Tools to Simplify the Use of Isaac Sim” by Masaaki Hijikata, in Japan on Wednesday, Sept. 25
  • “Integrating AI in Robot Manipulation Workflows” Birds of a Feather Session with Kalyan Vadrevu, in Denmark on Monday, Oct. 21
  • “Accelerating Robot Learning at Scale in Simulation” Birds of a Feather Session with Markus Wuensch, in Denmark on Monday, Oct. 21
  • “Nav2 User Meetup” Birds of a Feather Session with Steve Macenski from Open Navigation LLC, in Denmark on Oct. 21
  • “ROS in Large-Scale Factory Automation,” with Michael Gentner from BMW AG and Carsten Braunroth from Siemens AG, in Denmark on Wednesday, Oct. 23
  • “On Use of Nav2 Docking,” with Open Navigation’s Macenski, in Denmark on Wednesday, Oct. 23

Teradyne, which owns Universal Robots and MiR, is hosting free tours of its facilities on Monday, Oct. 21, at ROSCon in Denmark. Available in the morning and afternoon, the tours include transportation, snacks and activities. Those who opt for half-day workshops or won’t be attending workshops can sign up for this activity.

Additionally, Teradyne and NVIDIA are co-hosting a lunch and evening reception on Tuesday, Oct. 22, in Denmark. Learn more about NVIDIA’s collaboration with Teradyne.

See the full programs and register for ROSCon in Japan, Denmark and China. For the latest updates, visit the ROSCon events page.

And learn more about NVIDIA NIM Agent Blueprints for enterprises to make their own AI.