Introducing RDA: Revolutionizing ROS Data
Management for Robotics Teams

Introduction

The robotics revolution is accelerating—and with it, the demands on software development teams are growing exponentially. Today, we’re excited to unveil Heex Resource and Data Automation (RDA) for ROS2, a game-changing feature within the Heex platform that redefines how robotics teams manage and leverage ROS data. Say goodbye to manual configuration headaches and hello to faster, smarter development cycles!

The Challenge: Data Overload in Robotics Development

Robotics systems are data powerhouses, generating gigabytes of sensor outputs, logs, and telemetry every hour. For teams building on the Robot Operating System (ROS)—the backbone of modern open robotics—this deluge of data creates real pain points:

• Data Overwhelm: Capturing everything is impractical; filtering down to what actually  matters is a struggle. Sending out all of that data can take away resources from a robot and slow it down. 
• Configuration Complexity: Setting up data pipelines is either rigid or time-intensive, especially for robots that lack continuous internet connectivity.
• Missed Opportunities: Critical insights are overlooked in fleeting moments, making it tough to pinpoint.
• Manual Workflows: Bridging ROS data to actionable analysis often means tedious, custom setups, manual labor to correctly label the data and make it accessible.

These hurdles bog down the iteration speed, complicate debugging, and push deployment timelines further out—costing teams time and risking their competitive edge.

RDA: Simplifying ROS Data Integration

Enter Resource Data Automation (RDA) for ROS2: a powerful solution designed to streamline the entire ROS data lifecycle—from capture to insight—without writing a single line of code. Thanks to RDA, you can:

• Automate Data Setup: Import ROS topics from ROS bags into Heex instantly with a single command.
• Capture with Precision: Record in real-time or from historical data (logs) based on custom triggers.
• Focus on What Matters: Target specific scenarios to grab only the data you need.
• Accelerate Workflows: Seamlessly integrate with built-in or 3rd party analysis tools for faster debugging and decisions.

RDA empowers robotics teams to iterate quickly, debug efficiently, and deploy with confidence.

Simple Integration, Powerful Results

Getting started with RDA is as easy as it gets:

• Step 1: Deploy the Heex Agent with a single CLI command—your system is now connected.
• Step 2: Provide a ROS bag (via CLI) to auto-import your topic configurations.
• Step 3: Define capture scenarios through our intuitive UI, CLI, or API.
• Step 4: Let RDA take over—monitoring, recording, uploading, and OTA updates happen automatically.

From setup to insights, you’re up and running in minutes—not days.

How RDA Works

When capturing data, RDA acts as a ROS 2 node that integrates directly into your system via the Heex Agent. Here’s how it transforms your workflow:

1. Smart Monitoring: RDA subscribes to your configured ROS topics and continuously evaluates them based on user-defined conditions.
2. Intelligent Buffering: It maintains a rolling memory buffer of specified data streams.
3. Event-Driven Capture: When a trigger fires (e.g., a navigation error or performance dip), RDA instantly generates an MCAP recording—including past data from the buffer.
4. Seamless Delivery: Recordings are uploaded to the Heex platform for immediate visualization and analysis.

No custom scripts. No complex setups. Just automated, reliable data capture tailored to your needs.

RDA in Action: From Edge to Insight

To provide further context, let’s consider a real-world use case. Imagine an autonomous warehouse robot. With RDA, you could:

• Set a Trigger: Capture data when navigation confidence drops below 90%.
• Record Automatically: Capture current and recent sensor data and internal states as soon as the trigger fires.
• Analyze Instantly: Review the event data in the Heex platform to pinpoint the issue.
• Fix Fast: Resolve problems that would’ve been near-impossible to replicate manually.

This is robotic observability in action—turning raw data into actionable solutions.

Compatibility and Requirements

RDA is built for modern ROS 2 workflows, supporting:

• Distributions: Galactic (Ubuntu 20.04), Humble (Ubuntu 22.04), Jazzy (Ubuntu 24.04).
• Input Formats: .db3 and .mcap ROS bags.
• Output: Optimized .mcap files for efficient storage and analysis.

It’s lightweight, flexible, and ready for your stack.

Analytics: Turn Data into Decisions

RDA doesn’t just capture data—it unlocks its potential. Integrated with Heex Analytics, you get:

• Real-Time Visibility: See events as they happen.
• Intuitive Tools: Analyze, and share data effortlessly.
• Fleet-Wide Insights: Monitor performance across multiple systems.
• Actionable Intelligence: Spot trends and optimize with precision.

Your data becomes a strategic asset, not a management burden.

Business Benefits Beyond Technical Advantages

RDA delivers value across the board:

• Faster Debugging: Isolate elusive issues with pristine, scenario-specific data.
• Performance Optimization: Diagnose bottlenecks in real-world conditions.
• Shorter Cycles: Cut development time with automated, precise feedback.

For businesses, this translates to:

• Time Savings: Setup reduced from days to minutes.
• Cost Efficiency: Focus resources on innovation, not data wrangling.
• Team Alignment: Enable engineers and ops to collaborate with shared insights.
• Market Speed: Deploy smarter systems, faster.

See It in Action

Curious about how RDA works in the real world? Check out this 2-minute demo:

https://www.heex.io/en-gb/product-new

See how quickly you can go from setup to your first insight.

Start Automating Your ROS Data Today

RDA is live now within the Heex platform, ready to transform how you work with ROS data. Why wait?

Get Started with RDA →