What are the common challenges of ROS professional development and training?

In view to an ROS versions ,software and internet connectivity, robots can have dozens of sensors and moving parts, each with its own security and software protocols. Everything from sensor firmware to motor control drivers needs upgrades both for functionality and security purposes. Every time one part of the robot is updated, there’s potential for the functionality to change in ways that might not operate the same as before. And distributed vertically with corrective algorithms.

ROS resources can solve professional growth and training concerns. ROS documentation and tutorials are obsolete, debugging and testing ROS code is challenging, and hardware and software integration resources are scarce. The high ROS learning curve and prerequisites—C++, Linux, and Python—can be tough for beginners. These obstacles can be solved by joining the ROS community, taking online courses and tutorials, attending conferences and workshops, contributing to open-source ROS projects, and undertaking ROS research. Slowly and consistently practise ROS. Ask for help with ROS learning materials. Mastering these obstacles can help you become a ROS professional and progress robotics.

The Robot Operating System (ROS) is a set of software libraries and tools that help you build robot applications. ROS is split up in more than 2000 packages, each package providing specialized functionality. The number of tools connected to the framework are probably its biggest power. The best way to learn ROS is practicing. It is possible to use ROS for simulating an existing robot, or programming a custom robot, a drone, a robotic arm.

I prefer to tackle the "issue" (is actually a luxury in my opinion) of ROS versions and distributions like so: 1)Check what the most recent LTS Ubuntu version is that is supported by the library/software you depend most on (e.g. PCL) 2)Now you have your Ubuntu version (e.g. 22.04) 3)Check the most recent LTS ROS2 distribution (e.g Humble) supported on your selected Ubuntu version. 4)Get to coding! If you do it in this order, it is actually a relatively easy choice. note: In my opinion you should go for ROS2 seeing it wil be receiving support for longer and has some features not available in ROS1. That being said, there could be reasons to go for ROS1, like a team proficient in ROS1 and no need for ROS2 features.

From my point of view, these are the key considerations to this complexity: ROS 1 vs. ROS 2: ROS 1 and ROS 2 are distinct versions with limited compatibility. So, migrating between them requires careful consideration of the project's needs & compatibility constraints. Diverse Distributions: Each ROS version has various distributions. These distributions offer different features, dependencies & support lifecycles. Choosing the appropriate distribution is crucial. Compatibility: Ensuring code & packages work seamlessly across platforms & environments is challenging. Follow the best practices for compatibility. Version Management: Optimize ROS performance by selecting the right ROS version. Use version management to enhance system performance.

ROS documenttion to be digitised w.r.t system that allows upgrades with minimal downtime and the capability for rollback in case anything goes wrong. AMR software can give RobOps teams the ability to make granular upgrades and rollbacks in order to isolate specific issues and minimize disruptions. Typically, the team will upgrade one AMR, then a small group of similar AMRs, and finally the whole fleet once the change is proven stable to tutorialised.

Outdated or missing documentation can be frustrating, but I rather have the latter than the former. So just having outdated documentation being flagged as such is already nice. That being said, this is an open source community and people are contributing in their free time, so it will always be kind of an "issue". Learning how to interpret the source code, read automated API docs, ... is a skill a good (robotics) developer needs to develop.

Navigating ROS documentation & tutorials poses a challenge. Community Contributions: ROS benefits from a vibrant community, but not all contributions are uniformly documented, updated or tested, adding variability to the quality of available resources. Quality Assurance Efforts: The community emphasizes QA, with tutorials on quality & guidelines to enhance the reliability of ROS packages & tools. Documentation Standards: ROS follows standards such as REP 2004, which categorizes packages by quality, aiding users in identifying reliable resources in the ecosystem. Official Documentation: Users may encounter outdated, incomplete, or inconsistent information. Quality-of-Service tutorials provide insights into specific areas of concern.

ROS documentation challenges developers due to outdated, incomplete tutorials spreading info. Questions go unanswered while troubleshooting wastes time. No coordination for contributions causes fragmentation. Maintainers need help prioritizing docs with code changes. Standard templates and regular updates from ownership can organize efforts. Videos teaching theory and practice ease learning. contributions of any size and refining content inspires others. Respectful collaboration across skills through knowledge sharing reimagines documentation helping all progress.

To overcome ROS debugging and testing challenges, employ a structured approach by identifying error sources, reproducing errors, analyzing logs and messages, and stepping through code. Leverage ROS debugging tools like rostopic, rosnode, and rqt_graph to monitor message flow and node status. Implement robust testing strategies using frameworks like rospytest and rostest. Adopt a proactive approach by writing clear and commented code, utilizing version control, and seeking community support.

Expertise in Changes are not only related to the robot itself; they may be a result of changes in procedures, inputs, floor layouts, etc. In today’s fast-changing business environment, all of these changes need to be integrated quickly with debugging based on upgradation or new installations & FAT acceptance according to iEEE62423 compliance.

Writing unit tests for functions, more elaborate sanity tests for nodes or even going to digital twin to test the whole stack, including simulated sensors, is a good way to find out that something is broken. Then you at least know if it is broken and hopefully what is broken. But then a robotics engineer with the applicable knowledge will always (at least in the foreseeable future) be needed to fix it. These problems are so complex that by definition writing automated testing that does more than just a basic "this is broken" becomes very hard if not virtually impossible.

Debugging distributed ROS systems is challenging due to the many potential failure points between communicating nodes. Without a standardized debugging framework, identifying and fixing issues can feel like an open-ended hunt. Thorough unit testing of components, judicious use of logging and visualization tools, community support, and documenting lessons learned can help methodically overcome debugging obstacles in ROS. Perseverance and steadily improving skills pave the way.

As per my skills It’s important to have a system that allows upgrades with minimal downtime and the capability for rollback in case anything goes wrong.Software can give ROS teams the ability to make granular upgrades and rollbacks in order to isolate specific issues and minimize disruptions. Typically, the team will upgrade one AGV/AMR, then a small group of similar AMRs, and finally the whole fleet once the change is proven stable.

Expertise on the hardware that you want to automate or control is a prerequisite.. Not all is algorithm it is understanding and integrating both.

Robotics is a complex subject, and next to generalists you need a competent team of specialists, including people with knowledge of hardware like motor drives. That does make soft skills more and more important in fields like robotics. As a general rule, robotics is too complex for one person to build something that can be used in industry. So you need a team of people that can work together and come to agreements. Sometimes I interview brilliant people, but end up not hiring them if they cannot communicate or work together.

Integrating ROS hardware and software components is a multifaceted challenge in professional development. Key considerations include: Diverse H/W Support: ROS accommodates a broad spectrum of hardware devices through drivers, plugins, and wrappers, facilitating connectivity for sensors, actuators, cameras, and controllers. Compatibility Challenges: Despite ROS's versatility, not all hardware devices seamlessly integrate, necessitating custom or proprietary solutions for certain devices. Compatibility issues arise often impacting integration. S/W Variability: S/W components, including packages, libraries, & algorithms, pose challenges due to differing requirements, dependencies, & configurations. These variations lead to conflicts & errors.

To overcome ROS hardware and software integration challenges, carefully select compatible hardware, ensure software compatibility, configure ROS parameters, handle data formats, utilize appropriate communication protocols, implement error handling and debugging mechanisms, perform thorough testing and validation, evaluate performance and optimize document integration procedures, and establish maintenance routines.

There is a duality to this. On one hand you wish to lower the barrier so more people can help build the future. On the other hand, we do live in a society today, where most people have access to the internet and thus do have the resources available to learn the prerequisites to work in robotics. Showing resourcefulness and tenacity to tackle difficult subjects you knew nothing about at first, is maybe a good hurdle?

Mastering ROS requires a combination of effective learning strategies, consistent practice, and community support. Start with the basics, utilize diverse learning resources, practice regularly, seek help, engage in open-source projects, attend ROS events, choose a suitable language, understand robotic systems, break down complex tasks, and embrace continuous learning.

Hardware/software pairing - a constant ROS challenge. A sensor works flawlessly solo, but balks when nodes connect. Code streams smoothly on your machine, crumbles on the robot. What seemed compatible clashes in reality. Drivers follow standards yet stall. Proprietary plugins proclaim openness but lock you out. Careful consideration prevents pitfalls. Test hardware offline before ROS marriage. Map dependencies to foresee conflicts. Standardize configurations across packages. When issues emerge, stay calm. Methodically bisect the problem. Log to pinpoint where separation occurs. Community documentation aids others facing dragons you’ve slain!

Creativity fills gaps. Simulators transport designs from imagination to reality. Open-source projects democratize robotics, welcoming all. Where tuition hinders, community bridges. Experts share expertise through tutorials, webinars, Q&A. Certifications recognize mastery without expense. Jobs once seemed distant dreams; connections make dreams real. Follow breakthrough builders, support startup inventors. Together we elevate each other. Challenges build character. With grit and collaboration, all become possible. Our diversifying field leaves no one behind. Share your story - how did you overcome? Others follow your footsteps. Our global village empowers continual learning, at each one's own pace. Onward! ??

Cross-platform Development: Developing ROS applications that work across different platforms (e.g., Windows, Linux, macOS) can present additional challenges, given that ROS has traditionally been closely tied to the Linux operating system.

ROS professional development and training often involve debugging and testing. Developers struggle to keep up with the latest features and changes in the quickly evolving software framework's many versions and distributors. Beginners struggle with ROS's enormous documentation and courses, which are often outdated. The framework's complexity and the multiplicity of software and hardware components make ROS application debugging and testing difficult. Due to the many interfaces and protocols, ROS hardware integration is difficult. ROS development's steep learning curve and requirements are very difficult.