mavlink/mavros

MAVROS is a MAVLink-to-ROS 2 bridge that translates autopilot protocols into familiar ROS 2 topics, services, and parameters.

The tool solves the problem of integrating flight controllers that speak MAVLink with ROS 2 robotics software. It abstracts away low-level protocol details by exposing autopilot state—telemetry, IMU data, GPS, attitude, battery status—as standard ROS 2 sensor messages and custom mavros messages. Commands flow the opposite direction through ROS 2 services for operations like arming, disarming, takeoff, landing, mode changes, and mission uploads. The bridge also routes communication between a ground control station, the flight control unit, and multiple ROS processes over a single link.

Developers building drone applications in ROS 2 should choose this tool if they want to program a UAV using familiar ROS patterns rather than learning MAVLink directly. It suits projects targeting PX4 or ArduPilot autopilots and supports both hardware flight controllers and software-in-the-loop simulation. The tool is extensible through a plugin architecture, allowing custom behavior without modifying the core. Transport is flexible, supporting USB, serial, UDP, TCP, and shared UAS bus connections. The project provides example scripts for common tasks like waypoint missions and offboard control, plus comprehensive plugin documentation listing every exposed topic, service, and parameter.

The project maintains active continuous integration across multiple ROS 2 releases. Development activity shows sustained engagement with the codebase through regular testing and validation against both major autopilot platforms in simulation and hardware configurations.