Multi-Robot Coordination in V2X Environments
2026-05-07 • Robotics
Robotics
AI summaryⓘ
The authors developed a communication system that helps social robots work together safely in busy city traffic without needing a central controller. They created two new services that let robots share information about their roles and actions, including details about nearby pedestrians who don't have communication devices. Their tests showed that robots could coordinate smoothly in real-life scenarios like helping a person cross the street, and simulations indicated their system reduces unnecessary wireless messages to keep communication efficient. This framework aims to support future connected traffic systems where robots and vehicles cooperate better.
Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X)social robotsurban trafficETSI Cooperative AwarenessRobot Awareness Service (RAS)Robot Maneuver Coordination Service (RMCS)Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs)finite-state coordinationconnected mobilitydecentralized coordination
Authors
John Pravin Arockiasamy, Alexey Vinel
Abstract
This paper presents a Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication framework that enables decentralized cooperation among social robots operating in complex urban traffic environments. Building on ETSI Cooperative Awareness and Maneuver Coordination services, the framework introduces two robot-centric facility-layer services: the Robot Awareness Service (RAS) and the Robot Maneuver Coordination Service (RMCS), realized through the Robot Awareness Message (RAM) and the Robot Maneuver Coordination Message (RMCM), respectively. RAS enables role-aware, task-oriented robot awareness while integrating externally detected Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), including non-V2X pedestrians, into cooperative awareness. RMCS supports event-driven, low-latency coordination of robot maneuvers under explicitly established roles, without centralized infrastructure or prior pairing. A real-world proof of concept demonstrates deterministic multi-robot coordination between a humanoid robot and a quadrupedal robot assisting a pedestrian during a road-crossing scenario, governed by a formally specified finite-state coordination model. Complementary simulations evaluate robot-mediated VRU clustering in mixed V2X environments, showing that RAS-based clustering integrates non-V2X VRUs in safety-critical areas while reducing redundant transmissions from V2X-enabled VRUs, thereby lowering channel load. Together, the proposed services provide a scalable and standards-aligned foundation for integrating cooperative robots into future Connected, Cooperative, and Automated Mobility ecosystems.