An open-source robot OS that lets you replay failures like a video game

Cerulion, a Y Combinator-backed startup, has released an open-source robotics runtime designed to work with the popular Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2). The system acts as an operating system for physical AI robots, featuring a zero-copy architecture for efficiency and the ability to record robot runs, then replay failures against new code for debugging. It also includes tools for remote access to robots from anywhere.

For robotics developers, this could significantly streamline the testing and debugging cycle by allowing them to capture real-world robot behavior and play it back repeatedly against updated software, much like replaying a game recording. The ROS 2 compatibility means it can integrate into existing robotics projects without a complete platform overhaul. The takeaway: This represents a practical step toward making robot software development more iterative and less reliant on physical hardware for every test.