Includes index.

ROS 2 from Scratch, written by the cofounder of a robotics company with years of experience in teaching and engineering, will equip you with the skills necessary to develop cutting-edge robotic systems efficiently. This book will help you understand why you should use Robot Operating System (ROS), clarifying what ROS is and isn’t. It focuses on applied learning—no unnecessary filler, no abstract theory, and no abrupt leaps into complex topics. You’ll discover how to install ROS 2, set up your environment, and explore concepts through hands-on experiments, as well as create a ROS 2 application for a custom robot. The chapters expand upon core concepts such as nodes, communication via topics, client-server interactions with services, complex behaviors using actions, runtime configurations with parameters, and seamless node orchestration via launch files. Each concept is clearly explained with the help of real-life analogies and practical examples, using Python and C++. The book will also guide you through creating a real-world project that incorporates TFs, URDF, RViz, and Gazebo. By the end of this book, you’ll be able to create new software for any robot in no time and easily join existing projects for new job roles, research endeavors, and beyond.