Motion based communication channels between mobile robots - A novel paradigm for low bandwidth information exchange

A formal notion of gesturing defined as the modulation of relative separation between mobile robots has been explored in. We extend this work by developing a peer-to-peer communication channel and an associated distributed communication protocol based exclusively on the modulation of relative motion and its observation. Protocols that enable two unicycle vehicles modulating their relative separation in the plane to effectively exchange information, as well as nonlinear control laws that enable these protocols are presented. Only local information is assumed for the control action. We illustrate the contextual nature of such signaling by showing applications to secure communication as well as robot formation motion. Simulations are presented to validate the work.