SLAMcore, a leader in spatial intelligence software for robots and other autonomous machines, has announced full compatibility of its SDK with ROS 2 (Robot Operating System). Support for this emerging standard operating system for robots adds to existing support for ROS 1 and C++ giving developers the flexibility to integrate SLAMcore’s vision-based SLAM (location, mapping and perception) software into the widest range of robot and autonomous product designs.
As commercial deployment of autonomous machines accelerates, leading designers and developers of robotics systems are turning to the enhanced capabilities of ROS 2 open-source software. The latest version of SLAMcore’s SDK, available now, allows SLAMcore customers to easily integrate its cutting-edge spatial intelligence into any robot using ROS 2 as its core middleware.
Out of the box, SLAMcore now provides ROS 2 users with significant benefits including:
- Enhanced SLAM efficiency for better memory and processor utilization – providing accurate, real-time position (in 6 degrees of freedom) running locally on minimal compute/memory – freeing compute/memory for product capabilities.
- Full 3D mapping and path planning – offering accurate, dense, 3D voxel-based maps for accurate maps of the robot’s surroundings for navigation purposes.
- Potential for semantic object maps – providing access to future SLAMcore capabilities including semantic object identification and labelling within maps.
SLAMcore algorithms make use of several enhancements in ROS 2, specifically the upgraded Nav 2 stack supporting fully autonomous navigation and enhanced support for embedded processors. SLAMcore’s vision-based SLAM allows full 3D mapping and path planning within ROS 2 and supports the development of semantic mapping to add understanding of objects within a map. The fine-grain control of memory and processor functions enabled in ROS 2 further enhances the efficiency of SLAMcore’s algorithms allowing developers to use smaller, less power hungry and more cost-effective embedded processors for SLAM.
ROS 2 has been developed over the last couple of years to extend the benefits of the pioneering open-source Robot Operating System (ROS) into rapidly emerging new robotics applications and represents the most powerful platform to further accelerate the effective deployment of highly capable autonomous machines that can deliver significant benefits to people in many ways. Key contributors including AWS regard ROS 2 as a fundamental building block for the next generation of robot deployments.
Owen Nicholson, CEO SLAMcore added, “Our customers are looking to deploy robots in real-world and at-scale situations and are turning to vision-based SLAM systems for efficient mapping, location and positioning. Integrating SLAMcore’s leading spatial intelligence with ROS 2 designs is a straightforward and highly cost-effective approach for them to quickly address complex SLAM challenges and move projects forward faster.”
Product Availability
The SLAMcore SDK, with support for ROS, ROS 2 and C++ interfaces is available now. It can be downloaded from SLAMcore.com and quickly deployed with standard hardware in just three clicks. A wide range of hardware and bespoke application set-ups are supported by SLAMcore’s engineers and next generation capabilities can be explored at SLAMcore Labs.
