Phygital field

Abstract

Collaboration between computer graphics and multiple robots has attracted increasing attention in several areas. To preserve the seamless connection between them, the system needs to be able to accurately determine the position and state of the robots and be able to control them easily and instantly. However, realizing a responsive control system for a large number of mobile robots without complex settings and at the same time avoiding the system load problem is not trivial. Our system, called "Phygital Field", can project two types of information: visible images for humans and data patterns for mobile robots in the same location by utilizing pixel-level visual light communication (PVLC) technology. Phygital Field offers two technical innovations: an initialization-free and marker-free localization and control method, and a system noted for its simplicity and scalability. Phygital Field enables the robots to always recognize their own positions and states immediately, the measurement devices are not required because localization and control of the robots are realized through projection. These features are very important to improve the reconfigurability of the system. The idea of controlling robots by using information embedded in projected images allows users to easily design an integrated environment for the physical robots and digital images to preserve the seamless connection between them.