The Robot Report

  • Research
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • Grippers / End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors / Sensing Systems
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • A.I. / Cognition
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Exoskeletons
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Markets
    • Agriculture
    • Defense / Security
    • Healthcare
    • Logistics
    • Manufacturing
    • Mining
  • Investments
  • Resources
    • COVID-19
    • Digital Issues
    • Publications
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
      • Robotics Business Review
    • RBR50
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness Direct
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
  • Podcast

Microsoft expands ROS capabilities for robotics developers

By Steve Crowe | November 4, 2019

Internal visualization of the Azure Kinect. | Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft Windows 10 has officially supported ROS since May 2019. This is, of course, an opportunity for Microsoft to expose its Azure platform to the ROS community. Microsoft is expanding its ROS/ROS2 support with new robotics development tools announced at ROSCon in Macau.

The new tools include a Visual Studio Code extension for ROS, Azure VM ROS template support for testing and simulation, an Azure Kinect ROS Driver, and more. Up first is the Visual Studio Code extension for ROS, which Microsoft previewed in July. Some of the new features include:

  • Automatic environment configuration for ROS development
  • Starting, stopping and monitoring of ROS runtime status
  • Automatic discovery of build tasks
  • One-click ROS package creation
  • Shortcuts for rosrun and roslaunch
  • Linux ROS development

For ROS2, the extension supports workspace discovery, runtime status monitor and built tool integration.

Microsoft ROS

Colorized point cloud output of Azure Kinect in RViz. | Credit: Microsoft

Microsoft showcased an Azure Kinect Developer Kit, which is its latest Kinect sensor. It contains the same depth sensor used in the Hololens 2, as well as a 4K camera, a hardware-synchronized accelerometer & gyroscope (IMU), and a 7-element microphone array. Along with the hardware release, there is a ROS node for driving the Azure Kinect. It will soon support ROS2.

Microsoft said the Azure Kinect ROS Node emits a PointCloud2 stream, which includes depth and color information, along with depth images, the raw image data from both the IR & RGB cameras and high-rate IMU data. A contribution from the ROS community has also enabled body tracking, Microsoft said. This links to the Azure Kinect Body Tracking SDK and outputs image masks of each tracked individual and poses of body tracking joints as markers.

There is also now a Windows Machine Learning API that enables robotics developers to use pre-trained machine learning models. Microsoft said Windows Machine Learning ROS Node will accelerate the inferencing of machine learning models, publishing a visualization marker relative to the frame of image publisher. The output of Windows ML can be used for obstacle avoidance, docking or manipulation.

You can learn more about Microsoft’s new ROS-related robotics development tools on the Windows Developer Blog.

Microsoft ROS

Visual Studio Code extension for ROS showing a preview of the Unified Robot Description Format, an XML format for representing a robot model/ | Credit: Microsoft

 

About The Author

Steve Crowe

Steve Crowe is Editor of The Robot Report and co-chair of the Robotics Summit & Expo. He joined WTWH Media in January 2018 after spending four-plus years as Managing Editor of Robotics Trends Media. He can be reached at [email protected]

Tell Us What You Think! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles Read More >

ADVANCED Motion Controls FM060-25-CM servo drive
Advanced Motion Controls adds compact, high-power servo drives
New directions for an old robotics toolbox
TransEnterix submits first machine vision system for robotic surgery to the FDA
TransEnterix machine vision system for robotic surgery receives CE Mark
Cruise Microsoft
Cruise raises $2B, partners with Microsoft on autonomous vehicles

Robotics Year in Review

The Robot Report Listing Database

Latest Robotics News

Robot Report Podcast

Teradyne’s acquisition strategy & the future of cobot

The Robot Report Podcast · Teradyne's acquisition strategy & the future of cobots

Sponsored Content

  • Doosan Robotics: Driving Innovation and Growth in Cobots
  • FORT Robotics Podcast: FORT Robotics on how to keep humans safe and in control of robots
  • Pallet Detection Systems Help Automated Forklifts Modernize Warehouse Operations
  • IES Servo Control Gripper
  • How to cut the cost of manufacturing

Tweets by RoboticTips

The Robot Report
  • Collaborative Robotics Trends
  • Field Robotics Forum
  • Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
  • RoboBusiness Event
  • Robotics Business Review
  • Robotics Summit & Expo
  • About The Robot Report
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2021 WTWH Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media. Site Map | Privacy Policy | RSS

Search The Robot Report

  • Research
  • Technologies
    • Batteries / Power Supplies
    • Cameras / Imaging / Vision
    • Controllers
    • Grippers / End Effectors
    • Microprocessors / SoCs
    • Motion Control
    • Sensors / Sensing Systems
    • Soft Robotics
    • Software / Simulation
  • Development
    • A.I. / Cognition
    • Human Robot Interaction / Haptics
    • Mobility / Navigation
  • Robots
    • AGVs
    • AMRs
    • Consumer
    • Collaborative Robots
    • Drones
    • Exoskeletons
    • Self-Driving Vehicles
    • Unmanned Maritime Systems
  • Markets
    • Agriculture
    • Defense / Security
    • Healthcare
    • Logistics
    • Manufacturing
    • Mining
  • Investments
  • Resources
    • COVID-19
    • Digital Issues
    • Publications
      • Collaborative Robotics Trends
      • Robotics Business Review
    • RBR50
    • Search Robotics Database
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • Events
    • RoboBusiness Direct
    • Robotics Summit & Expo
    • Healthcare Robotics Engineering Forum
    • DeviceTalks
    • R&D 100
  • Podcast