ROS, the Robot Operating System, is an open source framework for writing software for robotics applications.
ROS offers enormous flexibility and shows its strengths particularly in dynamic environments, for example when navigating automated guided vehicles (AGV), gripping objects or avoiding collisions. http://www.pilz.com
The completed ROS packages contain defined functionalities as well as drivers and are made available to users via a shared community. This may be a path planning function, for example, which you easily adapt into a pick-and-place application. The individual ROS packages are modular and therefore highly versatile. They are also compatible with the hardware of various manufacturers. http://www.pilz.com
ROS is ideally suitable for users without expert knowledge of programming. In this modular approach, different ROS packages can be combined for an application. This offers extremely high flexibility when designing your robotics application. Openness is guaranteed with the cross-manufacturer open source framework.