Two-dimensional signal transmission technology for robotics

Abstract

The forms of communication available now are categorized into the one or three dimensional. One dimensional communication includes metal wires and optical fibers in which the electro-magnetic field is confined in one dimensional medium. Wireless communication based on RF or optical connection emits electro-magnetic field in 3-D space. Now what if we have "two-dimensional communication" in which signals travels from one point to another point freely in elastic two-dimensional space using electromagnetic field confined in 2-D space? In this paper, we describe such a new technology of 2-D communication brings new paradigm to robotics. The methodologies of machine-design, system-integration, sensing, and computing will be drastically changed. We show architecture of the 2-D signal transmission based on relaying packets between communication chips on a thin sheet, the physical structure of the 2-D signal transmission, the protocols of the signal relay, and the results of the basic experiments.