Robot Operating System 2: Design, architecture, and uses in the wild

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Software Engineering
• Autonomous Systems

Background:

• The widespread adoption of robots in commercial applications necessitates robust and scalable software architectures.
• The previous generation, Robot Operating System (ROS) 1, facilitated research but lacked essential production-grade features.
• Modern robotic systems demand enhanced reliability, modularity, and advanced algorithms for diverse operational domains.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the philosophical and architectural advancements in ROS 2.
• To highlight how ROS 2 addresses the limitations of ROS 1 for production environments.
• To demonstrate the impact of ROS 2 adoption on accelerating real-world robot deployments.

Main Methods:

• Review of ROS 2's design principles and architectural changes.
• Analysis of key features enabling production-grade robotics.
• Case studies showcasing ROS 2's influence on system deployment in challenging environments.

Main Results:

• ROS 2 provides a modular, scalable, and reliable architecture crucial for modern robotics.
• Significant improvements in production-grade features and algorithms compared to ROS 1.
• Demonstrated acceleration in the reliable deployment of robotic systems across various industries.

Conclusions:

• ROS 2 represents a fundamental redesign, empowering the next phase of the robotics revolution.
• Its architecture and features are key to overcoming challenges in deploying robots at scale.
• ROS 2 is instrumental in advancing the reliability and capabilities of real-world robotic systems.