ROS 2 (Robot Operating System 2)
A middleware framework for robot software that provides publish-subscribe message passing, a standardized type system for robot data, process lifecycle management, and a package ecosystem. Not an operating system; runs on top of Linux, macOS, and Windows. Current LTS release as of 2026: ROS 2 Jazzy Jalisco (released May 2024, supported until May 2029). Latest non-LTS release: Kilted Kaiju (released May 2025). (Open Robotics, 2017 to present)
Defined in 2 GAGE programs, which carry 4 distinct definitions of it. The wording above is taught in Foundations of Robotics and Physical AI.
How each discipline defines it
The same term does different work depending on who is using it. These are the definitions as each program teaches them, unedited.
A middleware framework for robot software that provides publish-subscribe message passing, a standardized type system for robot data, process lifecycle management, and a package ecosystem. Not an operating system; runs on top of Linux, macOS, and Windows. Current LTS release as of 2026: ROS 2 Jazzy Jalisco (released May 2024, supported until May 2029). Latest non-LTS release: Kilted Kaiju (released May 2025). (Open Robotics, 2017 to present)
The successor robotics middleware framework, redesigned around Data Distribution Service (DDS) transport to support real-time performance, multi-robot systems, and production-grade reliability that ROS 1's original architecture did not target.
A set of open-source software libraries and tools maintained by Open Robotics that provide the communication infrastructure, build system, and standard interfaces for robot software. ROS 2 is the successor to ROS 1 and uses DDS (Data Distribution Service) for reliable publish-subscribe communication between nodes.
The open-source middleware framework developed and maintained by Open Robotics (formerly Willow Garage). Provides nodes, topics, services, actions, and tools for building modular, distributed robot software stacks. Used in Programs 1 through 4 as the integration layer, scaling from a single simulated robot (Program 1) to multi-robot production deployments (Program 4). (see Topic 9.1)
Terms it appears with
Not an alphabetical neighbourhood: these are the terms taught in the same lessons, ranked by how often they appear together.