ROS 2 overview: DDS middleware for robot software
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ROS 2 is robot middleware built on DDS, offering QoS, security and deterministic timing that ROS 1 lacked. Lists adopters such as Bosch, NASA VIPER, Tier IV and Amazon, with 3x industrial adoption growth from 2019 to 2024.
Key claims
Industrial adoption up 3x from ROS 1 to ROS 2 (2019-2024)
Bosch has 2,000+ warehouse robots on ROS 2
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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:
โค Bosch: warehouse robots (2,000+ units deployed);
โค NASA: VIPER lunar rover;
โค Tier IV: Autoware autonomous driving stack (production vehicles in Japan);
โค Amazon: some Proteus warehouse robots;
โค 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.
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