Knowledge Base

Everything you need to know and understand to develop V2X applications.

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denm-generator.py
msg = self.generate_denm()
future = self.send_request(msg)
future.add_done_callback(self.request_completed)

cube:its

cube:its is a ROS 2-based Cooperative ITS stack that turns the cube:evk into a standards-compliant ITS station. It is built on Vanetza and extended with ETSI facility layers. The API is exposed through ROS 2.

Features

  • ROS 2 integration. Standard ROS 2 topics, services, and message types (ros_cube_msgs).

  • ROS 2 ecosystem reuse. Existing ROS 2 drivers and perception stacks for Lidar, radar, cameras, and other sensors can be connected to cube:its directly through ROS 2 topics. Detected objects can be published on the CPM input topic and forwarded over V2X without writing protocol glue. Frameworks such as Autoware integrate via the same ROS 2 graph. External ROS systems can be linked through a ROS bridge or by extending the ROS domain.

  • ETSI facilities. Cooperative Awareness (CA), Decentralized Environmental Notification (DEN), Collective Perception (CP), VAM, and others.

  • Built on Vanetza. An open-source, ETSI-compliant C-ITS stack.

  • GNSS and IMU input. Uses cube:ubx positioning and the u-blox module's IMU fusion to provide ITS time and position references.

  • Development environment. Pre-installed dev containers, remote debugging, and tooling for running ROS 2 applications directly on the cube:evk.

Typical Use Cases

  • V2X-enabled vehicles
  • Smart infrastructure nodes
  • Prototyping platforms for universities and research institutes
  • Edge devices combining V2X, GNSS, and local sensor data
  • Cloud-connected systems (fleet monitoring, digital twins)
  • ROS 2-based environments

Layer Coverage

cube:its covers the C-ITS protocol layers end to end:

  • Link layer: cube:radio API (ITS-G5 or C-V2X)
  • Networking: GeoNetworking (Vanetza GN)
  • Transport: BTP-A/B
  • Facilities: CAM, DENM, CPM, VAM, LDM
  • Security: ETSI ITS-S security hooks
  • Time sync: GNSS-tuned ITS time (cube:time)

ROS 2 applications can operate at any layer:

  • Send CAMs from their own mobility data
  • Process received DENMs
  • Feed sensor detections into CPM
  • Implement custom facilities on top

See the Introduction to get started.

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