Open Source RoboticsRobots, software & learning

Copper

Software

Rust runtime and SDK for static robot task graphs, with recording/replay and host/embedded examples. [1] [3]

Installation & first result →Official websiteGetting started

For
Robotics developers comfortable with Rust and task-graph configuration [1]
Source rights
Named licenses are documented by part. Review licenses
Unknowns
operating system, compute requirements not fully established. Review gaps

Source researched · Not tested by us
Sources checked · Research details

Licenses & related hardware

Requirements · Research details and dates

On this page

Overview

Copper is a Rust runtime and SDK for robot task graphs declared in RON and wired at compile time. The repository includes runtime code, components and examples for host and embedded targets, together with recording and replay tooling. Its relevance is the explicit robot-processing graph; timing and determinism remain properties to evaluate for a selected application. [1] [3] [4]

Is this for you?

Known limitations
  • Host and bare-metal targets have different available runtime features.
  • A generated schedule is a starting point to tune; zero-allocation, timing and deterministic-replay claims were not independently tested.
  • Vendor SDKs and some component-specific licenses must be reviewed separately.

Editorial scope assessment from the cited implementation/documentation; no execution or compatibility test.

[1] [2] [3] [4] · Editorial assessment

What you need

Dependencies
  • Selected README names Rust1.96+
  • cargo-cunew scaffolds a project; target-specific component dependencies remain separate

[1] [2] [3] [4]

Installation & first result

Open the upstream getting-started guide [1]

  • Follow the documented cargo-cunew hello_copper route for a host example, then inspect copperconfig.ron, src/main.rs and src/tasks.rs.
  • Preserve exact source/dependency/model versions and evaluate the selected workflow before connecting physical hardware or reusing data.

Editorial scope assessment from the cited implementation/documentation; no execution or compatibility test.

[1] [2] [3] [4] · Editorial assessment

Installation

Follow the documented cargo-cunew hello_copper route for a host example, then inspect copperconfig.ron, src/main.rs and src/tasks.rs.

Editorial scope assessment from the cited implementation/documentation; no execution or compatibility test.

[1] [2] [3] [4] · Editorial assessment

Hardware, models & data

Inputs and outputs

RON-configured robot task graphs and component inputs to scheduled task outputs and recorded logs.

Editorial scope assessment from the cited implementation/documentation; no execution or compatibility test.

[1] [3] · Editorial assessment

Project notes

Begin with the host scaffold

For an initial Linux-host investigation, the selected README names Rust 1.96 or newer and documents cargo install cargo-cunew, followed by cargo cunew hello_copper, entering the generated directory and running it with Cargo. The generated source/task/sink example is described as producing messages and logs/hello-copper.copper. Inspect copperconfig.ron, src/main.rs and src/tasks.rs to understand the graph before replacing components with robot drivers. Those are upstream instructions, not a scaffold built here; Linux-specific prerequisites and compatibility have not been established by this packet. [1]

The generated justfile is the documented entry point for logging and replay helpers. The README distinguishes just graph for topology, just sched for the generated process schedule and just sched-log for post-execution timing from the default Copper log. It calls the starter schedule a conservative starting point. Preserve workload and target details; these helpers do not establish a measured latency guarantee. A successful Linux host example would not validate timing, logging or replay on a microcontroller. [1]

Choose runtime features for the target

The inspected runtime crate conditionally uses no_std and rejects a parallel-rt configuration without std. It also gates several modules behind std. Therefore a host feature set should not be assumed available unchanged on a bare-metal target. Examine the selected components and their target dependencies before planning a port. [3]

The root Apache-2.0 declaration is not a substitute for component-specific notices or vendor SDK terms found elsewhere in the tree. No Rust compilation, embedded build, device transport, timing benchmark, recording or deterministic-replay test was performed for this profile. [2] [4]

What we checked

Source research only. Selected implementation/model text, repository tree and license declarations were inspected. No upstream compilation, dependency installation, simulator, network/USB/device integration, data collection, benchmark or physical robot test was performed. Source files are linked rather than redistributed; external services and paid products are not endorsed.

Not yet established

  • Requirements: operating system, host computer
  • Version-specific hardware compatibility (ecosystem tags alone do not establish it)

Updates

Upstream last updated
Not established
Latest release
Not established
Profile updated
Nov 1, 2026
Sources last checked
Nov 1, 2026
Next review
Dec 1, 2026
Reviewed revision
fc74808

Source files and licenses

Distinct robot-facing framework contribution with actual implementation/model content and a bounded documented next step. Review covers source artifacts, not operational performance or a complete tested deployment.

LayerAvailability / license
softwareavailable · Apache-2.0
Declaration for the scoped source implementation/documentation; dependencies, external services, model/data assets and inherited file-specific terms require separate checks. No blanket redistribution or operational clearance. [1] [2] [3]
documentationavailable · Apache-2.0
Declaration for the scoped source implementation/documentation; dependencies, external services, model/data assets and inherited file-specific terms require separate checks. No blanket redistribution or operational clearance. [1] [2] [3]

This profile is scoped to source implementation/model descriptions and an initial inspection workflow; no physical manufacturing design, pretrained checkpoint or dataset is selected for redistribution or tested deployment.

References

Each source links to the exact revision we read. “Used for” shows where this page relies on it.

Correction guidance · Discussion is not enabled · Profile format 0.7.0-draft.5

Change history