Open-source robotics

Applications to date include: Most open source hardware definitions allow non-open subcomponents to be used in modular design, as long as they are easily available.

In robotics, this specifically means real-time communication systems with standardized message passing protocols.

Creating open drivers for closed hardware is difficult as it requires both low level programming and reverse engineering.

Open source 3D game engines such as Godot are also sometimes used as simulators, when equipped with suitable middleware interfaces.

Major components include: The first signs of the increasing popularity of building and sharing robot designs were found with the maker culture community.

A common standard is that designs should be buildable by a technical university student, in a few days, using typical fablab tools, but definitions of all of these subterms can also be debated.