𝗥𝗢𝗦 𝟮 (𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝟮) 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄
ROS 2 is middleware for building robot software. It handles message-passing between processes, node discovery, and data serialization - the infrastructure layer so you don't write TCP sockets yourself.
Key difference from ROS 1? ROS 1 used a custom TCP protocol. ROS 2 uses DDS (Data Distribution Service) - a standard that supports QoS policies, security, and deterministic communication timing.
A factory arm needs guaranteed 1ms response times. ROS 1 couldn't promise that. ROS 2 can.
How does it differ from alternatives?
vs writing custom: you get pub/sub, service calls, parameter servers, lifecycle management out of box. Building this takes teams 6-12 months.
vs proprietary frameworks (ABB RobotStudio, KUKA KRL): ROS 2 is hardware-agnostic. The same code runs on different robot brands.
And you may know these big guys that already use ROS 2:
➤ Bosch: warehouse robots (2,000+ units deployed);
➤ NASA: VIPER lunar rover;
➤ Tier IV: Autoware autonomous driving stack (production vehicles in Japan);
➤ Amazon: some Proteus warehouse robots;
➤ BMW, Toyota: R&D and production line automation.
Adoption increased 3x from ROS 1 to ROS 2 in industrial settings (2019-2024), per Open Robotics' survey of 3,500 developers.
