Robots are typically described in software by specification files (e.g., URDF, SDF, MJCF, USD) that encode only basic kinematic, dynamic, and geometric information. As a result, downstream applications such as simulation, planning, and control must repeatedly re-derive richer data, leading to redundant computations, fragmented implementations, and limited standardization. In this work, we introduce the Universal Robot Description Directory (URDD), a modular representation that organizes derived robot information into structured, easy-to-parse JSON and YAML modules. Our open-source toolkit automatically generates URDDs from URDFs, with a Rust implementation supporting Bevy-based visualization. Additionally, we provide a JavaScript/Three.js viewer for web-based inspection of URDDs. Experiments on multiple robot platforms show that URDDs can be generated efficiently, encapsulate substantially richer information than standard specification files, and directly enable the construction of core robotics subroutines. URDD provides a unified, extensible resource for reducing redundancy and establishing shared standards across robotics frameworks. We conclude with a discussion on the limitations and implications of our work.

翻译：机器人通常通过仅编码基本运动学、动力学和几何信息的规范文件（如URDF、SDF、MJCF、USD）在软件中进行描述。因此，下游应用（如仿真、规划与控制）必须反复重新推导更丰富的数据，导致冗余计算、实现碎片化以及标准化程度有限。在本工作中，我们引入了通用机器人描述目录（URDD），这是一种模块化表示方法，将衍生的机器人信息组织成结构化、易于解析的JSON和YAML模块。我们的开源工具包能够从URDF自动生成URDD，其Rust实现支持基于Bevy的可视化。此外，我们还提供了一个JavaScript/Three.js查看器，用于基于Web的URDD检查。在多个机器人平台上的实验表明，URDD能够高效生成，封装的信息比标准规范文件丰富得多，并能直接支持核心机器人子程序的构建。URDD为减少冗余并在机器人学框架间建立共享标准提供了一个统一、可扩展的资源。最后，我们讨论了本工作的局限性与潜在影响。