As a result, robotics software developers will now be able to leverage the ROS 2 ecosystem together with RTI Connext Tools to more rapidly develop, test and debug distributed robotics systems.
ROS 2 offers an open-source framework for building robotic systems and RTI, a leading supplier of software compliant with the Data Distribution Service (DDS) standard, provides the connectivity backbone for ROS 2. The Connext 6 RMW layer provides a connection to the ROS 2 ecosystem with RTI’s latest software and Connext Tools.
“RTI was founded out of the Stanford Robotics lab so robotics is deeply rooted in our DNA,” said Gerardo Pardo-Castellote, CTO at RTI. “We work with our customers beginning in the research phase of their system development all the way through to production where performance, reliability and scalability become critical. We recognize the value of participating in the ROS ecosystem and are proud to offer new ways to utilize RTI Connext DDS for a production-grade solution.”
The new Connext RMW layer is able to provide:
- The flexibility of the ROS 2 platform combined with complete access to RTI Connext tools for improved distributed system visualization and debugging capabilities
- Support for RTI Connext DDS Professional in Connext 6, used for industrial and military robotics applications where reliability and scalability are of paramount importance
- Support for RTI Connext DDS Micro
- Support for future releases of the Connext Product Suite
“We developed the new Connext RMW layer from the ground up to better take advantage of Connext APIs and features,” explained Andrea Sorbini, Senior Software Engineer at RTI and technical lead for the project. “This allowed us to simplify the code and greatly improve the performance of the RMW layer, while also providing more turnkey access to RTI’s powerful distributed system development tools.”
“The new RMW brings the system-level visibility and monitoring capabilities of Connext DDS to ROS 2,” added Neil Puthuff, Senior Software Integration Engineer at RTI. “It enables advanced tools, such as RTI Admin Console and RTI Monitor to work seamlessly in a ROS 2 environment. No other current RMW offers this level of visibility and we look forward to continuing to help our customers simplify complex system development.
