What is RobOps?

Robot Operations, or RobOps, is a set of robot-specific processes, tools and best-practice principles that guide robot manufacturers, operators, and customers in the design and use of robots. RobOps are a vital part of robotics development and integration at scale across industries. RobOps comprises an executional layer to the larger evolving picture of autonomous robotic integration in our world.

Welcome to the world of Software-Defined X

A software-based representation of hardware equipment - this concept of virtual machines is now expanding beyond the cloud to the physical world through the use of software that controls autonomous robots. We call this Software-Defined X where any enterprise process in the physical world can be designed, executed and controlled through software. This takes “digital transformation” to its logical conclusion.

In order to manage this advanced equipment, a new type of software platform is emerging that abstracts the complexity of a specific robot (the hardware) while making it possible to control its operation. This approach has many benefits, allowing enterprises to simultaneously drive productivity and flexibility. RobOps plays a critical role to make this happen.

InOrbit's RobOps, designed for Software-Defined X

Based on ROG’s principles, InOrbit practices RobOps as a critical part of our platform philosophy, blending DevOps and PeopleOps together. Our understanding and interpretation of RobOps state that:

• It is an application of DevOps in the context of robotic deployment that includes processes of observation, diagnosis,  integration, mitigation, intervention, optimization, and prevention.
• Pursuing best practices for robot operations at scale requires not only RobOps expertise but also a focus on the people directly involved in the operations process.

The Four D’s of robot development and the Four O's of robot operations provide a framework for thinking about robots and their operation across industries. Here is the best way to understand how all of these elements fit together when considering or checking in on a RobOps integration. Start by identifying the use case, as either a Robot Developer or an End User, then click to explore the interactive graphic above.

People first

We believe that people are the most valuable asset of any company. So in an effort to maximize every robot’s ability and efficiency to drive a successful operation, focus must be placed on the experiences of the people who run the system. This is why we rely on the wisdom of lessons learned in PeopleOps. When we start with understanding people, when we care about investing in the engagement and development of people we can then create the best user experiences for those people. At InOrbit we listen to our customers and strive to continually improve our platform by incorporating their feedback.

Three key personas: engineers, operations, executives

We know that within each company, there are distinct roles that function quite differently. That's why we develop our platform so it works efficiently and effectively for different people. We focus on three key personas: Engineers, Operations and Executives.

We know you don’t exist in a vacuum, and while we strive to provide a robust experience for everyone, we believe that engineers hold the most essential key to effective RobOps.

Engineers are the ones who build your robotic systems, who ultimately make everything work. We believe that strongly supporting engineers, in particular, enables other key players such as operations or infrastructure teams and executives to truly maximize the potential of every robot.

Providing the right tools to achieve your goals

We provide various versatile tools for engineers such as SDKs, APIs, embeds, varying cloud services and a web UI. Our platform can be easily integrated into existing systems to improve efficiency and bring productivity to the next level. But we also understand that we won’t be able to meet all of your needs upfront, so we're committed to providing a host of exceptionally flexible tools that enable engineers to leverage our platform building blocks in almost any way to fulfill your specific needs. 

What does RobOps have to do with standards and the open source community?

RobOps is not just about making sure robots and humans work well together to complete tasks. It’s also about getting robots to work well with each other, especially as an increasing number of companies deploy different robot systems to handle multiple tasks. Interoperability becomes more critical as adoption increases and fleets scale. Good RobOps means an openness to supporting a variety of emerging industry standards. This allows for the broadest reach and the greatest opportunity for interoperable success across a variety of manufacturers. InOrbit shares in this commitment to open source, collaborative, accessible software and standards that will drive success as the industry grows.

What is the Robot Operations Group?

The Robot Operations Group, or ROG, (pronounced rogue) is a non-profit community group made up of robotics experts, enthusiasts, creators, coders, operators, and customers from across industries who believe in the benefits good RobOps can provide. The group shares ideas and experience in an effort to accelerate the adoption of robotics They are motivated by the goal of improving the lives of people around the world, from front line workers to consumers. 

InOrbit is proud to support ROG in these efforts.

You can learn more about the Robot Operations Group and join their mission at http://robops.org