VibeComm: radio-free wireless communication for smart devices using vibration

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Traditional wireless communication methods face limitations in certain environments.
• There is a need for alternative communication channels for smart devices, especially in offline scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate VibeComm, a novel communication method for smart devices leveraging built-in vibrators and accelerometers.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of using physical objects as a medium for device-to-device communication.

Main Methods:

• VibeComm utilizes the vibrator of a transmitting device to generate patterned vibrations.
• These vibrations propagate through an intermediary object (e.g., a table) to nearby devices.
• Receiving devices use their accelerometers to detect and decode the vibration patterns into messages.

Main Results:

• VibeComm successfully enabled low-rate data transmission between smart devices placed on the same object.
• The method proved effective as an alternative communication channel in scenarios where radio communication was not feasible.
• Experiments conducted on Android smartphones confirmed the practical viability of the VibeComm system.

Conclusions:

• VibeComm presents a viable and innovative approach for device-to-device communication using haptic feedback.
• The system offers a unique solution for offline, low-rate data exchange, expanding communication possibilities for smart devices.