B2XKlaim

B2XKlaim combines two complementary roles. First, it provides an intuitive visual modeling language based on BPMN that lets multidisciplinary teams (roboticists, software engineers, and non-technical stakeholders) specify multi-robot missions with minimal learning curve, using a notation readable at a glance. Second, it acts as a code generator that transforms these diagrams into executable X-Klaim skeletons, abstracting the low-level tuple-space coordination so developers focus on task logic rather than synchronization plumbing. Together, these capabilities close the gap between high-level mission design and executable robot coordination.

How It Works

B2XKlaim follows a model-driven development pipeline:

1. Design. Model your multi-robot mission as a BPMN Collaboration diagram using the built-in web editor (powered by bpmn-js). Each pool represents a robot or participant, and message flows capture inter-robot communication via tuple spaces.

2. Parse. The backend parses the .bpmn XML, extracting pools, tasks, gateways, events, and message flows into an intermediate representation.

3. Translate. A set of mapping rules transforms each BPMN element into its X-Klaim counterpart: pools become net declarations, message flows map to out/in operations on tuple spaces, XOR gateways translate to conditionals, AND gateways to parallel constructs, EB gateways to timeout-based routing (if ... within), LP gateways to while loops, and tasks become proc bodies. See docs/translation.md for the full rule set.

4. Generate. The tool outputs a structured .xklaim package:

src/main/java/xklaim/
├── Collaboration.xklaim        # net definition
├── processes/                   # one proc per pool
├── tasks/                       # script task stubs
└── branches/                    # AND gateway branches

The generated code is downloadable as a ready-to-compile project for the X-Klaim runtime with ROS 2 integration.

BPMN Collaboration diagram designed in the B2XKlaim editor

Generated X-Klaim code output

X-Klaim

To compile and run the generated code, you need X-Klaim:

• Eclipse update site: https://lorenzobettini.github.io/xklaim-releases/

• Eclipse distributions with X-Klaim pre-installed: https://sourceforge.net/projects/xklaim/files/products/

Supported BPMN Elements

Category	Elements
Gateways	XOR (Exclusive), AND (Parallel), EB (Event-Based), LP (Loop)
Events	Start, Intermediate, End (None, Message, Signal, Timer variants)
Tasks	Script Task, Call Activity
Structure	Pools, Message Flow, Event Subprocess

Setup

Backend (Java 21 + Spring Boot)

cd B2XKlaim/B2XKlaim-BackEnd
mvn clean install -DskipTests
mvn clean compile

Then run B2XKlaimApplication.

Frontend (Vue 3 + bpmn-js)

cd B2XKlaim/B2XKlaim-FrontEnd
npm install

Run

cd B2XKlaim
npm start

Draw a BPMN Collaboration diagram in the editor, hit Translate, and download the generated X-Klaim code.

How to Use

See the full guide: How to use B2XKlaim

A hosted version is available at kbourr.com/bxklaim; a new release will be deployed soon.

References

If you use B2XKlaim in your research, please cite:

K. Bourr, F. Tiezzi, L. Bettini, and S. Seriani, "Translating BPMN models into X-KLAIM programs for developing multi-robot missions," International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer, pp. 1–19, 2026, Springer.

K. Bourr, F. Tiezzi, and L. Bettini, "Model-driven development of multi-robot systems: from BPMN models to X-Klaim code," in International Symposium on Leveraging Applications of Formal Methods (ISoLA), pp. 224–242, 2024, Springer.

BibTeX

@article{bourr2026translating,
  title     = {Translating BPMN models into X-KLAIM programs for developing multi-robot missions},
  author    = {Bourr, Khalid and Tiezzi, Francesco and Bettini, Lorenzo and Seriani, Stefano},
  journal   = {International Journal on Software Tools for Technology Transfer},
  pages     = {1--19},
  year      = {2026},
  publisher = {Springer}
}

@inproceedings{bourr2024model,
  title        = {Model-driven development of multi-robot systems: from BPMN models to X-Klaim code},
  author       = {Bourr, Khalid and Tiezzi, Francesco and Bettini, Lorenzo},
  booktitle    = {International Symposium on Leveraging Applications of Formal Methods},
  pages        = {224--242},
  year         = {2024},
  organization = {Springer}
}

License

See LICENSE for details.