Autoware is an open-source autonomous driving software platform built on the robotics middleware standard. It provides a comprehensive stack for managing perception, planning, and control, enabling the development and deployment of full-stack autonomous driving software on commercial transport hardware.
The platform utilizes a component-based modular architecture that organizes driving functions into isolated, interchangeable nodes. This design is supported by a hardware-abstraction layer and plugin-based sensor integration, which allow the software to interface with diverse hardware configurations and vehicle platforms without requiring modifications to the core driving logic.
The system coordinates complex driving pipelines through graph-based task orchestration and middleware-based message passing, ensuring real-time data exchange and time-synchronized processing across the vehicle. It includes specialized tools for robotics perception optimization and navigation, allowing for high-performance environmental awareness and decision-making even on hardware with limited computing resources.
