ROBOTIS Open Source Team: New Direction and Future Plans

Community
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Dear ROBOTIS Community,

We are pleased to announce that the ROBOTIS Open Source Team will be restructured in 2025. This team will take the lead in revamping our open platforms and developing innovative features, including the integration of Physical Intelligence capabilities.

We sincerely apologize for the lack of maintenance on our open-source platforms since mid-2022, when the resources for managing the Open Source Team were significantly reduced. Moving forward, we are committed to resuming active management and development for previously supported platforms, including TurtleBot3, OpenMANIPULATOR-X, OP3, DynamixelSDK, and Dynamixel-Workbench etc.

Our Future Directions

  1. Discontinued ROS Distributions
  • To streamline support, we have decided to discontinue support for outdated ROS distributions, including Kinetic, Dashing, and Foxy, as they have reached their End of Life (EOL). Moving forward, our focus will be on:
    • Noetic (ROS 1): Officially supported until May 2025.
    • Humble (ROS 2): Currently supported.
    • Jazzy (ROS 2): Support is under preparation and will be available soon.
  1. E-Manual Updates
  • References to discontinued distributions have been removed from the ROBOTIS e-manual to reflect the changes above.
  • TurtleBot3 was the first product to undergo these updates.
  • Documentation for previous versions remains available for download: Archived e-Manual Versions.
  • The updated e-manual focuses exclusively on currently supported distributions.
  1. Source Code Availability
  • Source codes for discontinued distributions will remain accessible on GitHub for those who need them.
    • Active Branches: noetic(Binary), humble(Binary), main(Rolling)
    • Legacy Branches: *-devel
  • Future development will prioritize:
    • Noetic (ROS 1): With limited updates until its EOL.
    • Humble (ROS 2) and beyond: As part of our long-term ROS 2 strategy.

As we embark on this renewed journey, we remain steadfast in our dedication to providing robust support and development for our open platforms. If you have any questions or require assistance, please reach out to us on the ROBOTIS Community Forum.
Thank you for your continued support as we advance together.

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