Clearpath Robotics partners with Microsoft to bring ROS on Windows to Clearpath mobile robots.

Kitchener, CANADA - 26 May, 2020 - Clearpath Robotics, a manufacturer of mobile robotic platforms for research and development, has announced support for Windows on its Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) giving the ROS community more choice and flexibility when developing robotic systems with Clearpath robots.

The Robot Operating System (ROS) is an open-source platform that provides robotics developers with tools and libraries to help them build complex robots. It was only available on linux-based systems until Microsoft announced ROS on Windows in May, 2019. Since then, engineering teams at Clearpath and Microsoft have worked together to bring support for ROS on Windows 10 IoT Enterprise and Windows 10 Desktop, to Clearpath robots, starting with Jackal UGV.

"In bringing Windows and Azure into the ROS ecosystem, Microsoft has created a set of powerful, supported tools for robotics development," said Julian Ware, General Manager of Clearpath Robotics. "We have been proud supporters of ROS for over 10 years and we're very excited to work with Microsoft to help bring this new functionality to the ROS developer community."

Windows offers various benefits which are applicable to robotics scenarios. Firstly, Windows provides multilayered security advances that protect deployments, detect anomalies and remediates issues through its enterprise-grade Windows security framework. Secondly, with Windows 10 IoT Enterprise and Azure IoT, users can take full advantage of cloud computing by offloading processes to the cloud or using cloud intelligence at the edge, for live decision making and autonomy. Finally, developers can utilize the same familiar toolsets and developer environments like Visual Studio or Visual Studio Code with extensions for ROS to expedite application development on ROS.

"Clearpath Robotics has been a supporter of ROS on Windows from the day Microsoft announced the proof of concept at ROSCon 2018. With ROS on Windows reaching a critical mass of supported packages, Clearpath is able to offer their solutions to customers who need Windows. Microsoft's Azure and Windows customers are increasingly looking to autonomous mobile robots to improve efficiency, improve working conditions, maintain business continuity and increase social separation. With this partnership, customers can now use Clearpath's robotic development platforms with Windows 10 and Azure IoT solutions" said Joe Coco, Partner Group Program Manager at Microsoft.

Clearpath robots that run Windows will offer the same user experience as an Ubuntu-based robot. The robot is shipped with ROS on Windows pre-installed and configured, allowing users to get started quickly right out-of-the-box.

ROS on Windows is currently available on Jackal UGV with support for other Clearpath robots to follow. Click here to learn more information about ROS on Windows, and click here to learn more about Jackal UGV.

Watch announcement video: https://youtu.be/wPzMqAj9X0s

About Clearpath Robotics
Clearpath Robotics is a global leader in unmanned vehicle robotics for research and development and provides hardware, software, and services to enable self-driving vehicle development, deployment, and operation. Clearpath works with over 500 of the world's most innovative brands in over 40 countries, serving markets that span industrial materials handling, mining, military, agriculture, aerospace, and academia. Clearpath is an award-winning company with recent awards, including Robotics Business Review Top 50 Company, Edison Award for Innovation, Business Insider Top 40 under 40, and Canada's Top 100 Employers. Visit Clearpath Robotics at www.clearpathrobotics.com.