WHOI-ROS shared ROS 2 stack for deep-sea vehicles debuts at Maritime CWG
WHOI's new ROS 2 stack standardizes deep-sea vehicle software across multiple programs.
Nathan McGuire from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) presented WHOI-ROS during the June 30, 2026 Maritime Community Working Group (CWG) meeting. WHOI-ROS is a shared ROS 2 stack designed to unify software development across WHOI's deep-sea vehicle programs. It provides foundational packages (wr2_base, wr2_asio, wr2_msgs) along with navigation components, sensor drivers, simulation tools, and post-processing capabilities. The architecture cleanly separates shared infrastructure from vehicle-specific configurations, enabling reuse and reducing duplication.
The presentation also covered migration lessons from transitioning a substantial ROS 1 codebase to ROS 2, specifically using Humble and Jazzy distributions. McGuire highlighted how the broader community can engage, contribute, and access the stack via WHOI's GitLab. Upcoming conferences—AUV 2026 (Southampton, UK) and OCEANS 2026 Monterey (CA, USA)—were flagged as opportunities for collaboration. This initiative aims to lower the barrier for marine robotics software development, fostering standardization and open collaboration across the field.
- WHOI-ROS includes wr2_base, wr2_asio, wr2_msgs, navigation, sensor drivers, simulation, and post-processing.
- Migration from ROS 1 to ROS 2 (Humble/Jazzy) was a key focus, with architecture separating shared infrastructure from vehicle-specific configs.
- Community can access the stack on GitLab and collaborate at AUV 2026 (Sept 1-3, Southampton) or OCEANS 2026 Monterey (Sept 21-24).
Why It Matters
Standardized ROS 2 stack accelerates deep-sea robotics development and invites open collaboration across marine robotics.