ROSCon 2025 & RIC-AP Summit 2025 Blog Series: Singapore’s Defining Week for Open-Source Robotics

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From 27–30 October 2025, Singapore became the beating heart of the global ROS ecosystem.

Over three days, **ROSCon 2025 (27–29 Oct) ** convened more than 1,000 participants from 52 countries maintainers, developers, startups, MNCs, public agencies and researchers—united by a shared belief in open-source as the fastest path to real-world robotics at scale.

This was more than a conference week. It was a signal: open, interoperable robotics—anchored in Singapore, built with the world - is here to stay.

Where Code Meets Collaboration: Reflections from ROSCon 2025 Singapore

Hosted in Singapore for the first time, ROSCon 2025 brought the global ROS community to Marina Bay with three intense days of technical talks, tutorials, demos and hallway architecture debates.

The event was honoured by the presence of Prof Tan Chor Chuan, Chairman of A*STAR

In his remarks, Prof Tan highlighted how open-source innovation, collaborative standards, and talent development are becoming the cornerstones of Singapore’s advanced manufacturing and robotics strategy.
He commended the Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF) and A*STAR’s Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC) for their leadership in cultivating an ecosystem that bridges research and industry, noting that:

“Open-source robotics represents not only technological advancement but also a new model of global cooperation. By enabling interoperability and collective innovation, we can accelerate deployment across sectors — from manufacturing to healthcare — while nurturing the next generation of deep-tech talent in Singapore.”

Prof Tan’s message set the tone for the conference — underscoring Singapore’s commitment to being a neutral and collaborative hub for open-source robotics, embodied AI, and digital transformation.

Beyond the energy on stage and in the expo hall, several milestones framed the week:

1.OSRF–ARTC Collaboration on Open-RMF

At ROSCon, the Open Source Robotics Foundation (OSRF) and A*STAR’s Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC) announced a strategic collaboration to:

    • Co-develop best practices, guidelines and testing plans for Open-RMF as a foundation for global robot interoperability.

    • Use Singapore’s new national sandbox at BCA Braddell Campus as a reference site for validation and certification of RMF-based deployments.

    • Strengthen community engagement so that Open-RMF continues to evolve as a truly open, production-grade standard.

This partnership cements Singapore’s role not just as a user of open-source robotics, but as a shaper of global interoperability standards

2. National Standards & Testbeds for Interoperability

Announcements around SS 713 (data exchange between robots, lifts and automated doorways) and TR 130 (interoperability between robots and central command systems) showcased how regulation, infrastructure and open-source can move in lockstep to make multi-vendor robot fleets safe and scalable.

3. Singapore as Neutral, Open Hub

With delegates and contributors from across the US, Europe, China, India, and the broader Asia Pacific, ROSCon 2025 reinforced Singapore’s unique role as:

    • A neutral ground for collaboration amid a more fragmented geopolitical landscape.

    • A trusted environment to host shared infrastructure, reference implementations and standards for open-source robotics, embodied AI and Open-RMF-driven ecosystems.

As the curtains close on ROSCon 2025 in Singapore, we are deeply honoured and inspired to have hosted this extraordinary gathering of over a thousand innovators, engineers, and visionaries from across 52 countries. The energy, ideas, and partnerships sparked over these few days reaffirm the strength of the open-source robotics community — one that thrives on collaboration, inclusivity, and shared purpose.

At A*STAR’s Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre (ARTC) and ROS-Industrial Consortium Asia Pacifi, we are excited to continue nurturing these collaborations — strengthening our ties with OSRF and the global ROS community, advancing Open-RMF, and building pathways that connect research to real-world adoption.

As we look ahead, we can’t wait to see how the community will come together again for ROSCon 2026 in Toronto — where new ideas will take flight, new contributors will emerge, and the open-source movement will reach even greater heights.