Software-Platform based Ecosystem in Heavy duty Mobile Machine Industry : “A case study on ROS Ecosystem”
Sonawane, Ashish (2022)
Sonawane, Ashish
2022
Tuotantotalouden DI-ohjelma - Master's Programme in Industrial Engineering and Management
Johtamisen ja talouden tiedekunta - Faculty of Management and Business
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2022-11-24
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202210287995
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tuni-202210287995
Tiivistelmä
The platform-based ecosystem theory is continuously evolving with a higher level of interdependence and interconnectedness in dynamic business surroundings. In the software context, the platform-based ecosystem provides a modular architecture that allows reusability of the core functionalities across different applications. The software-platform based ecosystem could make a huge difference in the heavy-duty mobile machine industry by reducing the R&D efforts in developing complex software systems to achieve smart functionalities in the mobile machines. The objective of the study is to determine the significance of the software platform ecosystem in the heavy-duty mobile machine industry and whether it could provide new prospects to this industry.
The research explores the Robot Operating System (ROS) ecosystem to address the eco-system opportunities in the heavy-duty mobile machine industry. The ROS ecosystem is an open-source software platform offering a core set of software development kits for developing robotic applications. ROS has become a de facto middleware in robotics providing numerous software packages, algorithms, drivers, and a diverse community of developers.
The research utilized a qualitative case study approach to investigate the heavy-duty mobile machine sectors' perspectives on Software-platform based ecosystems. A total of 12 interviewees participated, involving 5 from software providers/consultants, 3 from embedded system providers, and 4 from manufacturing organizations expressing their opinions and current understanding of the Software-platform based ecosystem. The interviews were focused on understanding the use of software platforms and ecosystems in the heavy-duty mobile machine industry. The findings suggested the interest of the organizations into the ROS ecosystem. Additionally, the use of software platforms indicated reducing the complexity of developing complex software applications required for mobile work machines.
This study contributes to the software platform and software ecosystem literature by providing the possibility to collaborate across the players in the ecosystem and pursuing the integration benefits of the Software-platform based ecosystems in the heavy-duty mobile machine industry. Finally, this thesis proposes a few future research directions that can expand the understanding and applications of ROS ecosystem in heavy-duty mobile machine industry.
The research explores the Robot Operating System (ROS) ecosystem to address the eco-system opportunities in the heavy-duty mobile machine industry. The ROS ecosystem is an open-source software platform offering a core set of software development kits for developing robotic applications. ROS has become a de facto middleware in robotics providing numerous software packages, algorithms, drivers, and a diverse community of developers.
The research utilized a qualitative case study approach to investigate the heavy-duty mobile machine sectors' perspectives on Software-platform based ecosystems. A total of 12 interviewees participated, involving 5 from software providers/consultants, 3 from embedded system providers, and 4 from manufacturing organizations expressing their opinions and current understanding of the Software-platform based ecosystem. The interviews were focused on understanding the use of software platforms and ecosystems in the heavy-duty mobile machine industry. The findings suggested the interest of the organizations into the ROS ecosystem. Additionally, the use of software platforms indicated reducing the complexity of developing complex software applications required for mobile work machines.
This study contributes to the software platform and software ecosystem literature by providing the possibility to collaborate across the players in the ecosystem and pursuing the integration benefits of the Software-platform based ecosystems in the heavy-duty mobile machine industry. Finally, this thesis proposes a few future research directions that can expand the understanding and applications of ROS ecosystem in heavy-duty mobile machine industry.