Meta-ROS: A Next-Generation Middleware Architecture for Adaptive and Scalable Robotic Systems

TL;DR

Meta-ROS introduces a scalable, high-performance middleware architecture that simplifies robotics development, improves communication efficiency, and enhances cross-platform compatibility compared to existing frameworks like ROS2.

Contribution

It presents Meta-ROS, a novel middleware leveraging modern protocols to improve performance and ease of integration in robotic systems.

Findings

Meta-ROS achieves up to 30% higher throughput than ROS2.

It significantly reduces message latency.

Meta-ROS demonstrates robust hardware support and ease of use.

Abstract

The field of robotics faces significant challenges related to the complexity and interoperability of existing middleware frameworks, like ROS2, which can be difficult for new developers to adopt. To address these issues, we propose Meta-ROS, a novel middleware solution designed to streamline robotics development by simplifying integration, enhancing performance, and ensuring cross-platform compatibility. Meta-ROS leverages modern communication protocols, such as Zenoh and ZeroMQ, to enable efficient and low-latency communication across diverse hardware platforms, while also supporting various data types like audio, images, and video. We evaluated Meta-ROS's performance through comprehensive testing, comparing it with existing middleware frameworks like ROS1 and ROS2. The results demonstrated that Meta-ROS outperforms ROS2, achieving up to 30% higher throughput, significantly reducing message latency, and optimizing resource usage. Additionally, its robust hardware support and developer-centric design facilitate seamless integration and ease of use, positioning Meta-ROS as an ideal solution for modern, real-time robotics AI applications.