I’ve been working on a project to simplify hardware interfacing in robotics. FROS creates a platform hosting drivers for various peripherals which could interface with the hardware and directly provide ROS2 interface (topics, services, etc). These are termed overlays, which are specialized ROS2 nodes build to run on a micro-controller.
What features does it support ?
- Multi-Channel Transport – USB 2.0 FS, WIFI, UART for low-latency data transfer
- Load and run multiple overlays (akin to ROS2 nodes) on a single controller
- Configure peripherals seamlessly via rqt.
- Directly expose ROS2 topics and services
- buildtool Integration with ROS2, to simplify overlay development, it’s as easy as developing ros2 nodes.
FROS is still a highly functional prototype, not yet refined as a product. We need backers and strategic partners to dwell further into it’s development.
I see it as tool for people in R&D and learners to quickly transition from simulations to hardware in a matter of few clicks.
Seeking feedback from the robotics community about their thoughts.
checkout demonstration video for more details. https://youtu.be/A4gqqNc3TcQ