Power users of ROS 2 are welcoming the new ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju release, which provides a more efficient, reliable and user-friendly experience through enhanced developer tools, improved data handling capabilities and expanded language support. 

If you're developing applications for eventual commercial production or if you already use RTI Connext or other DDS APIs with ROS 2, there's more good news: RTI now offers official support for ROS 2 with Connext 7.3.0 LTS, RTI’s latest long-term supported release.

Why This Matters

ROS 2 is a set of open source robotic middleware and tools that is popular in developing robot applications, especially during early-stage development and prototyping.

As robotic and distributed systems progress towards commercial deployment however, they grow in complexity and require stricter timing, higher scalability, and more advanced control. That’s when engineers often turn to the Data Distribution Service (DDS^TM) standard. 

The integration of DDS in ROS 2 provides a robust communication framework that facilitates efficient, scalable, real-time data exchange. DDS supports advanced Quality of Service (QoS) policies, which are crucial for ensuring data reliability, low latency, and efficient resource usage in mission-critical applications.

RTI Connext connectivity software delivers a mature implementation of the DDS standard and is used in production-stage autonomous systems across automotive, aerospace, defense, healthcare, and other industries. By keeping the ROS 2 RMW Layer for RTI Connext aligned with the latest ROS 2 releases, developers can continue working within the ROS 2 ecosystem while gradually accessing more of Connext’s core capabilities as their systems evolve.

What’s New for Connext Users with the Kilted Kaiju Release

Support for Connext 7.3.0 LTS - With this Kilted Kaiju release, the benefits of RTI’s latest LTS version are brought into the ROS 2 ecosystem. Connext 7.3.0 includes multiple improvements for performance, tooling, and reliability, with a stable API and extended support lifecycle. RTI customers using ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju and Connext 7.3.0 can now enjoy full, high-quality RTI support delivered by the RTI Support Team. For a detailed overview of Connext 7.3.0 LTS new features, please refer to What’s New in 7.3.0 LTS.

Keyed Topics Support - This feature enables better scalability and data organization by distinguishing between multiple instances of the same topic using a key (e.g., device ID or sensor name). This simplifies message handling in complex systems, particularly those with many replicated components or agents. Learn more about this feature in the Keyed Topics tutorial.

Improved Alignment with ROS 2 APIs and the ROS 2 RMW Layer for RTI Connext - This feature maintains full compatibility, allowing developers to build and test applications in ROS 2 without major changes, while still benefiting from the performance and control provided by DDS underneath. 

Wider Architecture Support -  In addition to AMD64 Ubuntu and Windows, this release adds native support for ROS 2 users to use Connext on ARM64 Ubuntu, available through the official ROS 2 Debian repositories.

Support Options

For RTI Customers

Connext 7.3.0 with ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju is supported through the RTI Support Portal, offering production-grade assistance and long-term maintenance to teams using ROS 2 and Connext.

For the Community

For those exploring using DDS with ROS 2, RTI continues to provide best-effort support via RTI Community and the open-source ROS 2 RMW and Connext GitHub repository. We also collaborate directly with OSRF on upstream contributions and feature alignment.

Looking Ahead

For engineers building ROS 2-based systems, the Kilted Kaiju release introduces support for Connext 7.3.0, providing a more robust and scalable middleware foundation for use cases that demand improved reliability and performance. And for those considering a deeper integration with DDS in the future, the combination of the Kilted Kaiju release, RTI’s official support, and alignment on the ROS 2 RMW Layer for RTI Connext all help ensure that the transition can happen smoothly and intentionally.

RTI is committed to supporting the ROS 2 ecosystem. Through our work, we are lowering the barrier for teams getting started with DDS, while also providing a pathway to more advanced DDS usage as system requirements evolve.

Resources/Getting Started

To begin using ROS 2 RMW Layer for RTI Connext with ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju:

1. Install ROS 2 Kilted Kaiju
   Follow the official ROS 2 installation guide.
2. Install the ROS 2 RMW Layer for RTI Connext
   Follow the Connext RMW installation guide to install and configure the rmw_connextdds package.
3. Run a Hello World Example
   Set the RMW implementation and launch a ROS 2 demo. You can follow a simple example here.

About the author:

Juan Carlos Chaves is a Senior Software Engineer at RTI, where he leads engineering efforts across a diverse range of projects. Since joining RTI in 2018, he has led key initiatives such as the Web Integration Service and the Dockerization of RTI products, in addition to his recent work on the Connext RMW integration for ROS 2. With a strong background in real-time distributed systems, interoperability, and middleware, he focuses on developing scalable and reliable solutions within RTI’s suite of products. Juan Carlos is dedicated to enhancing developer experience, improving system scalability, and ensuring that advanced communication technologies are accessible and dependable across various domains.