--- title: BotsAndUs build a social robot on Ubuntu description: As robotics become increasingly prevalent in all sectors and expand outside the manufacturing industry, it is no surprise that IDC predicts worldwide spending on robotics to reach $103bn in 2018. A UK based startup, BotsAndUs, are looking to capitalise on this opportunity and have created an advanced social robot – Bo – primarily for use […] url: https://canonical.com/blog/botsandus-build-a-social-robot-on-ubuntu --- 1. [Blog](https://canonical.com/blog) 2. Article --- [Sarah Dickinson](https://canonical.com/blog/author/sarahfd "More about Sarah Dickinson") 16 April 2018 # BotsAndUs build a social robot on Ubuntu [developers](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/developers) [IoT](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/iot) [robotics](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/robotics) [Ubuntu](https://canonical.com/blog/tag/ubuntu) --- Share the article As robotics become increasingly prevalent in all sectors and expand outside the manufacturing industry, it is no surprise that [IDC](https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS43519218) predicts worldwide spending on robotics to reach $103bn in 2018. A UK based startup, [BotsAndUs](https://www.botsandus.com/), are looking to capitalise on this opportunity and have created an advanced social robot – [Bo](https://www.botsandus.com/products/bo/) – primarily for use in hospitality and retail scenarios. Bo has already been used in numerous scenarios and by some large brands including BT and Etisalat as well as being trialled in large UK shopping centres such as Lakeside. Creating a social robot that also has AI capabilities for advanced face to face interaction is no easy feat especially when a combination of hardware and software, including a RealSense Depth camera system and ROS, needs to be seamlessly integrated. For that reason, BotsAndUs required a widely supported and versatile OS so turned to Ubuntu to build Bo. *“Ubuntu’s versatility is superb. It gives us so much freedom when it comes to choosing hardware and software, and integrating the new technology with Bo is quick and easy.”*Adrian Negoita, CTO, BotsAndUs Download the case study below to find out more about how Ubuntu eased BotsAndUs path to production. First Name: Last Name: Work email: Company Name: Job Title: Phone Number: I agree to receive information about Canonical’s products and services. In submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical’s Privacy Notice](https://canonical.com/legal/data-privacy/contact) and [Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/data-privacy). Download ## Sign up for our newsletter Get the latest Canonical news and updates in your inbox. Work email: \*I agree to receive information about Canonical's products and services. In submitting this form, I confirm that I have read and agree to [Canonical's Privacy Notice](https://canonical.com/legal/data-privacy/contact) and [Privacy Policy](https://canonical.com/legal/data-privacy). Sign up ## Share on --- ## Related posts [### Arduino® VENTUNO™ Q is available for pre-order with Ubuntu pre-installed](https://canonical.com/blog/arduino-ventuno-q-is-available-for-pre-order-with-ubuntu-pre-installed) London, UK – August 25, 2026 – Following our initial collaboration announcement in March 2026, Canonical and Arduino (a subsidiary of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.) are excited... [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 25 August 2026 [### Canonical announces the alpha release of Charmed OpenShell to help secure autonomous AI agent fleets](https://canonical.com/blog/charmed-openshell-alpha-release) To streamline enterprise deployment and lifecycle management, Canonical is announcing the alpha release of Charmed OpenShell. [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 28 September 2026 [### Ubuntu coming soon to Snapdragon X2 Series platforms, unlocking more Linux PCs for the agentic world](https://canonical.com/blog/ubuntu-coming-soon-to-qualcomm-snapdragon-x2-series-platforms) Canonical and Qualcomm Technologies announce upcoming native Ubuntu support for Qualcomm’s flagship laptop silicon, delivering multi-day battery life, 80 TOPS NPU acceleration,... [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 23 September 2026 [### Canonical announces Zephyr 26.04 LTS, delivering up to 15 years of support for MCU-grade devices](https://canonical.com/blog/zephyr-lts-announcement) The new enterprise distribution provides a trusted Real-Time Operating System (RTOS) to solve critical Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) compliance and developer experience... [Canonical](https://canonical.com/blog/author/canonical) 21 September 2026