1
ROS 2 assumes Linux.
DDS discovery, build flags and the toolchain all assume a POSIX environment. Off that path, nothing behaves predictably.
ROS 2 / WINDOWS / OPEN SOURCE
ROS 2 that actually works on Windows.
Zero-setup robotics tooling
Build, preview and debug robot software without fighting your environment. Public beta — honest about what works and what doesn't yet.
Explorer
▾ src/
package.xml
drone_teleop.py
quadrotor.urdf
CMakeLists.txt
drone_teleop.pyquadrotor.urdf
1import rclpy
2from geometry_msgs.msg import Twist
3
4class DroneController(rclpy.node.Node):
5 def __init__(self):
6 super().__init__('drone_teleop')
7 self.pub = self.create_publisher(Twist, '/cmd_vel', 10)
8 self.create_timer(0.02, self.tick) # 50 Hz
9
10 def tick(self):
11 msg = Twist()
12 msg.linear.x = 0.5
13 self.pub.publish(msg)
✓ ROS 2 Humble detected (WSL2) · colcon build: finished in 12.4s
→ node drone_teleop started · publishing /cmd_vel at 50 Hz
01 / Diagnosis
The setup is harder than the code.
Robotics tooling was designed for a Linux workstation. Everyone else spends their first week on configuration instead of robots.
2
Windows developers live in WSL2, half-configured.
Editing on Windows, building in Linux, and nothing bridging the two. GUI tools lag, hardware passthrough is fragile.
3
Setup outlasts the code.
Sourcing scripts, workspace overlays and build flags take longer to get right than the node you actually wanted to write.
02 / Architecture
What Rovant handles for you.
01detects your ROS 2 install automaticallyWSL2 Core
02previews URDF and Xacro models in 3D3D Kinematics
03streams live topics over rosbridgeWebSocket Bus
04runs colcon builds from the editorBuild Orchestration
03 / Roadmap honesty
Works today / Coming soon.
This is a 0.1 beta. Everything below in the left column has been built and packaged; the right column has not shipped yet.
Works today
- ✓Windows installer, .deb and AppImage
- ✓Python, C/C++ and CMake syntax highlighting
- ✓Run current file — Python, and C/C++ compiled and executed
- ✓ROS 2 Humble detection via WSL2
- ✓URDF / Xacro 3D preview
- ✓Live topics over rosbridge
- ✓Colcon build tasks and project templates
Coming soon
- ○Python and C++ IntelliSense (pyright + clangd)
- ○One-click C++ debugging (lldb-dap)
- ○XML / URDF grammar colouring
- ○Code signing certificates
- ○Linux one-click install / repair
04 / Install
One command, or one click.
# and run the installer
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://github.com/octaboomai/Rovant/releases/download/v0.2.0/rovant-0.2.0-windows-x64.exe" -OutFile "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\rovant-setup.exe"; & "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\rovant-setup.exe"
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://github.com/octaboomai/Rovant/releases/download/v0.2.0/rovant-0.2.0-windows-x64.exe" -OutFile "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\rovant-setup.exe"; & "$env:USERPROFILE\Downloads\rovant-setup.exe"
# and install the Debian package
wget https://github.com/octaboomai/Rovant/releases/download/v0.2.0/rovant-desktop_0.2.0_amd64.deb && sudo apt install ./rovant-desktop_0.2.0_amd64.deb
wget https://github.com/octaboomai/Rovant/releases/download/v0.2.0/rovant-desktop_0.2.0_amd64.deb && sudo apt install ./rovant-desktop_0.2.0_amd64.deb
# download, make executable, run
wget https://github.com/octaboomai/Rovant/releases/download/v0.2.0/Rovant-0.2.0.AppImage && chmod +x Rovant-0.2.0.AppImage && ./Rovant-0.2.0.AppImage
wget https://github.com/octaboomai/Rovant/releases/download/v0.2.0/Rovant-0.2.0.AppImage && chmod +x Rovant-0.2.0.AppImage && ./Rovant-0.2.0.AppImage
[ NOTICE ]
Windows builds are unsigned. SmartScreen may prompt — click More info → Run anyway. Code signing certificates are being provisioned for the next release.
05 / Windows walkthrough
What you'll see when you install.
The build is unsigned, so Windows warns you once. That's expected. Here is the entire flow, in order.
-
1
Download the installer
Chrome saves
rovant-0.2.0-windows-x64.exe. If it says the file isn't commonly downloaded, that's the unsigned build — choose Keep.
-
2
Windows SmartScreen warns you
Because the build is unsigned, Windows shows Publisher: Unknown. Click More info, then Keep anyway. Signed builds are coming.
-
3
Accept the licence
Rovant is Apache 2.0. Review and click I Agree.
-
4
Choose who can install it
Anyone who uses this computer needs admin rights; Only for me does not. Then click Next to finish.
06 / Open source
Apache 2.0, no lock-in.
Rovant is released under the Apache 2.0 licence and built on Eclipse Theia. Read it, fork it, ship your own build — there is no commercial tier gating the editor. Source, issues and roadmap live on GitHub.
Public beta limitations
- Windows: requires WSL2 with an Ubuntu 22.04 LTS distribution. ROS 2 Humble must be installed inside it — the Toolchain panel can do this, but it needs
winget. - Linux: built and tested on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, x86_64.
- ROS 2 distro: Humble only. Jazzy and Rolling are not supported yet.
- No IntelliSense yet: no completion, go-to-definition or inline errors.
- No debugger yet: the launch configurations were removed in 0.1.1 because they failed with a timeout.
- Unsigned builds: SmartScreen warnings on Windows until certificates arrive.
- Architecture: x86_64 only; no ARM builds yet.