Robot Operating System (ROS)
Robot Operating Systems (ROS) is a set of software frameworks used for developing robotics software. Despite its name, ROS is different from traditional operating systems, as it is used as a middleware suite.
ROS provides a rich set of tools to robotics developers to create software applications for robots. This chapter explains the fundamental concepts and features of robot operating systems.
What is Robot Operating System?
Robot Operating System (ROS) is a software framework designed for developing robotic applications. It provides a set of tools to simplify the development process of robotic systems and applications. ROS provides several functionalities such as code reusability, structured environment, visualization and debugging tools.
The major components of a robot operating system are as follows −
- Middleware − This component of ROS acts as a communication bridge between robotic hardware and software.
- Libraries − These are sets of prebuilt functionalities used to perform various robotic tasks.
- Tools − This component of ROS provides various tools for visualization, debugging, and simulation of robotic systems.
Features of Robot Operating System
Listed below are some of the key features of robot operating system (ROS) −
- ROS is a modular framework and comprises of individual processes to perform specific tasks.
- ROS supports various programming languages.
- It provides various visualization and simulation tools to test the behavior of robots in a virtual environment.
Important Concepts of ROS
Some of the important concepts related to robot operating systems are explained below −
- ROS Nodes − In ROS, a node is nothing an executable program that can perform a specific function like collecting data from sensors, controlling actuators operations, etc. Different nodes in ROS communicate with each other by using topics, services, and actions. ROS nodes are generally written in programming languages such as Python, C++, etc. Nodes allows to convert a robotic application into smaller and manageable processes by breaking it down.
- ROS Master − It is the central component of the robot operating system and allows nodes to communication. When ROS nodes start, they register with the ROS Master and it enable other nodes to find and interact with them.
- Topic − In ROS, a topic is a named communication channel which provides the functionality of publish-subscribe messaging.
- Service − In ROS, a service provides the request-response communication between ROS nodes.
Versions of Robot Operating System
The following two are the main versions of the robot operating systems –
ROS 1
It is also termed as Boxturtle. It was the first release of ROS which introduced in the year of 2010. It laid the foundation for ROS development. ROS 1 was mainly focused on research and experimentation in robotics.
However, ROS 1 had the following key limitations –
- It does not have real-time capabilities.
- It does not provide security features.
- It does not provide scalability and support for modern architectures.
ROS 2
This version of ROS was released in the year of 2022, and it addresses the limitations of ROS 1. Also, it provides expanded capabilities for more sophisticated robotics applications, primarily in commercial and industrial domains.
The key improvements made in ROS 2 include the following −
- It uses data distribution service protocol to provide real-time capabilities.
- It provides improved security features.
- It offers expanded platform support and scalability for complex applications.
ROS 2 is widely used in real-time systems, autonomous vehicles, and industrial robots.
Conclusion
In this chapter, we provided an overview of the features and versions of Robot Operating Systems. Let's proceed to the next chapter in the tutorial and understand the Best Programming Languages for Robotics.