Performance Comparison of ROS2 Middlewares for Multi-robot Mesh Networks in Planetary Exploration

TL;DR

This paper evaluates different ROS 2 middlewares over mesh networks in extreme environments, finding Zenoh to be the most suitable for multi-robot planetary exploration due to its lower delay and resource usage.

Contribution

It provides a comparative performance analysis of ROS 2 middlewares in dynamic mesh networks for planetary exploration scenarios, highlighting Zenoh's advantages.

Findings

Zenoh shows reduced delay and CPU usage.

Zenoh maintains high reachability in dynamic topologies.

Performance varies among middlewares depending on network conditions.

Abstract

Recent advancements in Multi-Robot Systems (MRS) and mesh network technologies pave the way for innovative approaches to explore extreme environments. The Artemis Accords, a series of international agreements, have further catalyzed this progress by fostering cooperation in space exploration, emphasizing the use of cutting-edge technologies. In parallel, the widespread adoption of the Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) by companies across various sectors underscores its robustness and versatility. This paper evaluates the performances of available ROS 2 MiddleWare (RMW), such as FastRTPS, CycloneDDS and Zenoh, over a mesh network with a dynamic topology. The final choice of RMW is determined by the one that would fit the most the scenario: an exploration of the extreme extra-terrestrial environment using a MRS. The conducted study in a real environment highlights Zenoh as a potential solution for future applications, showing a reduced delay, reachability, and CPU usage while being competitive on data overhead and RAM usage over a dynamic mesh topology