Amazon Web Services Announces Cloud Robotics Development Service

Amazon.com, Inc. AMZN's Amazon Web Services announced a new service for robotics developers Monday. 

What Happened

RoboMaker is intended for developers that are testing and deploying robotics applications, according to Amazon. 

“AWS RoboMaker extends the most widely used open source robotics software framework, Robot Operating System (ROS), with connectivity to AWS services including machine learning, monitoring and analytics services to enable a robot to stream data, navigate, communicate, comprehend and learn,” the company said. 

Why It’s Important

Robots are quickly penetrating consumer life and performing tasks ranging from house chores to pipeline inspections, Amazon said. Those tasks are accomplished with instructions made in software applications that depend on sensor data and control actuators. 

"While it sounds simple in theory, developing, testing and deploying intelligent robotics applications is difficult, time-consuming and demands a diverse set of hard-to-acquire skills," the company said. 

RoboMaker addresses this with an integrated software and services set and allows developers to begin with a single click in AWS, Amazon said. 

"AWS RoboMaker provides pre-built functionality to support robotics developers during their entire project, making it significantly easier to build robots, simulate performance in various environments, iterate faster and drive greater innovation,” AWS RoboMaker general manager Roger Barga said in a statement. 

What’s Next

AWS RoboMaker is now available in Ireland and certain parts of the U.S. such as Virginia and Oregon, and will expand to more regions next year, Amazon said. 

Amazon shares were up 5.28 percent at $1,581.33 at the close Monday. 

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