Learn URDF and Xacro
ROS 2 → Build the robot model
Links, joints and reusable descriptions
The URDF tutorial connects rigid links with joints, then uses Xacro includes and reusable definitions to organize the description. Robot state publisher turns the model and joint state into transforms.
Reference environment: Ubuntu 24.04, ROS 2 Jazzy and Gazebo Harmonic. Some Articulated Robotics videos use older Foxy/Gazebo Classic examples. Use the linked documentation for compatible commands and plugins. You can read and watch on mobile; simulation needs a computer.
Video by Josh Newans / Articulated Robotics ↗ · Starts at 1:15
Lesson notes
- A joint defines the parent/child relationship and allowed motion.
- A link's visual geometry is not its coordinate frame.
- Xacro produces URDF; it does not simulate the robot.
Explain it in your own words
How does a fixed camera mount differ from a wheel joint?
Compare your explanation
The fixed mount has no relative motion; a wheel normally uses a continuous joint whose angle changes.
Further reading and sources
Completion saves automatically after you read through to the end.
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