An experience report on challenges in learning the robot operating system

Abstract

The Robot Operating System (ROS) was initially introduced to lower the barriers to robots software development by reducing the need for extensive domain knowledge. ROS allows developers to build valuable robots by configuring and reusing off-the-shelf components while writing little, if any, code through its modular design, loosely coupled architecture, and rich package ecosystem. However, despite the advantages of this approach, the lack of documentation can present a challenge to novice users.