Multi-Robot Coordination in V2X Environments

2026-05-07

AI Summary

This work addresses the challenge of safe and efficient coordination between multiple robots and non-V2X vulnerable road users (e.g., pedestrians) in complex urban traffic environments lacking centralized infrastructure. The authors propose a decentralized V2X communication framework compliant with ETSI standards, introducing two novel services: Robot Awareness Service (RAS) and Robot Maneuver Coordination Service (RMCS). These enable event-driven, low-latency, role-aware collaboration through Robot Awareness Messages (RAM) and Robot Maneuver Coordination Messages (RMCM), without requiring pre-pairing or a central coordinator. Notably, the approach integrates non-V2X users into the cooperative perception framework. Real-world experiments demonstrate deterministic collaboration between humanoid and quadruped robots assisting pedestrians in crossing scenarios, while simulations show that RAS effectively clusters vulnerable road users, reduces channel load, and enhances safety for non-V2X participants.

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.

Problem

• Multi-Robot Coordination
• V2X Communication
• Vulnerable Road Users
• Decentralized Cooperation
• Urban Traffic Environments

Innovation

• V2X communication
• decentralized coordination
• Robot Awareness Service (RAS)
• Robot Maneuver Coordination Service (RMCS)
• Vulnerable Road User (VRU) integration