ReconfROS: Running ROS on Reconfigurable SoCs

Abstract

In this paper, we present an approach to integrate reconfigurable SoCs into the well known Robot Operating System (ROS). Our method allows to implement hardware-accelerated algorithms on FPGA and integrate them directly into the ROS ecosystem. This allows to combine the established and well tested ROS infrastructure together with low-power hardware acceleration. As a proof-of-concept for this novel integration, we ported an existing path-following algorithm onto an FPGA and tested it on an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV).