ROS2WASM: Bringing the Robot Operating System to the Web

TL;DR

ROS2WASM integrates ROS 2 with WebAssembly, allowing robotics software to run directly in web browsers, enhancing accessibility, reproducibility, and security for research and education.

Contribution

This paper introduces ROS2WASM, a novel system that compiles ROS 2 packages into WebAssembly for browser-based execution, a significant advancement in robotics software accessibility.

Findings

Enables ROS 2 to run in web browsers without local installation

Improves reproducibility and shareability of robotics research

Supports integration with Python Robotics Toolbox and Swift simulator

Abstract

The Robot Operating System (ROS) has become the de facto standard middleware in robotics, widely adopted across domains ranging from education to industrial applications. The RoboStack distribution, a conda-based packaging system for ROS, has extended ROS's accessibility by facilitating installation across all major operating systems and architectures, integrating seamlessly with scientific tools such as PyTorch and Open3D. This paper presents ROS2WASM, a novel integration of RoboStack with WebAssembly, enabling the execution of ROS 2 and its associated software directly within web browsers, without requiring local installations. ROS2WASM significantly enhances the reproducibility and shareability of research, lowers barriers to robotics education, and leverages WebAssembly's robust security framework to protect against malicious code. We detail our methodology for cross-compiling ROS 2 packages into WebAssembly, the development of a specialized middleware for ROS 2 communication within browsers, and the implementation of https://www.ros2wasm.dev, a web platform enabling users to interact with ROS 2 environments. Additionally, we extend support to the Robotics Toolbox for Python and adapt its Swift simulator for browser compatibility. Our work paves the way for unprecedented accessibility in robotics, offering scalable, secure, and reproducible environments that have the potential to transform educational and research paradigms.