Navigation stack

The navigation stack ties together the map, the robot position estimate, the global and local planners and the obstacle handling. When any one part is weak, you see it as a robot that gets lost, hesitates or drives in circles.

Most buyers do not see it directly, only its effects. Open stacks such as ROS 2 Nav2 can be customized, while vendors with closed stacks usually offer better out-of-the-box behavior but fewer options. Ask how updates are delivered and whether you can edit the map yourself.