Software & Middleware

XACRO (XML Macros)

XACRO (XML Macros) is an XML templating language used in the ROS ecosystem to generate URDF robot descriptions, adding macros, parameters, conditionals, math expressions, and file inclusion so large robot models can be composed from reusable, parameterized components. A xacro file is expanded into plain URDF at build or launch time, keeping descriptions of arms, sensors, and grippers modular and maintainable.

Why it matters for physical AI

Accurate, maintainable robot descriptions feed everything downstream, including kinematics, collision checking, simulation, and sim-to-real pipelines, and xacro is the de facto tool that keeps those descriptions consistent across robot variants.