Research from QNX Spotlights Software as Biggest Bottleneck to Robotics Innovation

Twenty-seven percent of developers cite software architecture and integration as their biggest performance bottleneck, compared to just 16% who cite hardware constraints.  

According to Jim Hirsch, Global VP of Sales, General Embedded Markets at QNX:

“Robotics teams are clearly pushing toward more intelligent, autonomous systems, but the data shows they are also running up against the very real limits of architectures that were never designed for this level of complexity or accountability. Developers consistently cite four core challenges: integration complexity, certification delays, functional safety risks in human‑machine interaction, and ensuring predictable behavior when it matters most. The good news is that these are all solvable problems and by focusing on stronger software foundations, developers can set the stage for faster innovation and a new generation of safe, reliable, and highly autonomous robots.”

Other key findings from the report include:

• Nearly nine in ten robotics developers (89%) say Physical AI is critical to their future plans.
• Deterministic, real-time behaviour is essential for 95% of robotics developers.
• Despite rising safety and security demands, 91% still rely on general-purpose operating systems (GPOS) to run real-time or safety-critical workloads.
• Highlighting concerns about suitability, 86% of respondents using a GPOS say they are open to changing their OS.

This research aligns with the industry push for a common OS, our belief that physical AI will redefine industrial automation, and why we’ve focused so intently on making robotic vision integration simpler with Fizyr OS 3.0.

Be sure to read the full report from QNX for more details.

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