Robot-to-Infrastructure Protocol

Urban infrastructure
wasn't built to talk
to machines.

URBANODE is the open communication protocol that enables autonomous emitters — delivery robots, humanoid robots, drones, and accessibility devices — to securely interact with urban infrastructure. From the street to the apartment door.

Request SDK Access ↗ Read the spec
ECDSA P-256 TLS 1.3 mTLS 5D Permission Matrix BLE / UWB / NFC Embedded Safety Rules Real-Time State Monitoring Automatic Settlement Predictive Maintenance Urban Digital Twin Offline Node Support ECDSA P-256 TLS 1.3 mTLS 5D Permission Matrix BLE / UWB / NFC Embedded Safety Rules Real-Time State Monitoring Automatic Settlement Predictive Maintenance Urban Digital Twin Offline Node Support
01 — The Problem

Every interaction requires
a human hand.

Urban infrastructure was designed for physical human interaction. Autonomous machines can navigate streets but cannot open a door, call an elevator, request a pedestrian phase, or ring a doorbell.

🚦

Traffic signals

Pedestrian buttons require physical pressure. Robots wait indefinitely or cross illegally.

No digital interface
🚪

Building access

Intercoms, doorbells, and smart locks require manual interaction or proprietary apps.

Fragmented protocols
🛗

Elevators

Every manufacturer has a different API. Otis, KONE, Schindler — three integrations, three contracts.

Proprietary silos
📦

Lockers & containers

Package lockers, waste containers, charging stations — each with its own incompatible system.

No interoperability
02 — The Protocol

One protocol. Every node.
Every emitter.

URBANODE is a universal R2I (Robot-to-Infrastructure) communication protocol. Integrate once, communicate with any certified node.

STEP 01

Discovery

Emitter queries the geospatial registry for nearby nodes. Receives real-time operational state: traffic phase, door status, elevator floor, available lockers.

GEOSPATIAL REGISTRY · BLE BROADCAST · DNS-SD/mDNS
STEP 02

Proximity verification

Node verifies the emitter is physically present using short-range wireless. GPS spoofing is blocked by an independent measurement layer.

BLE RSSI · UWB TIME-OF-FLIGHT · NFC FIELD PRESENCE
STEP 03

Mutual authentication

Both emitter and node present ECDSA P-256 certificates verified against the system root of trust. Compromised emitters are revoked network-wide in under 60 seconds.

TLS 1.3 · mTLS · ECDSA P-256 · CRL <60s
STEP 04

5D permission evaluation

Permissions are evaluated as a five-dimensional matrix: action type × node type × geographic zone × time window × permission level.

ACTION · NODE TYPE · ZONE · TIME · LEVEL (1-5)
STEP 05

Embedded safety — node is final authority

Safety rules execute locally on the node and cannot be overridden by any external request. Fire alarm active → door stays locked. Emergency preemption → traffic signal rejects phase change. The node always has the last word.

LOCAL EVALUATION · IMMUTABLE RULES · AUDIT LOG 90d
STEP 06

Execution & settlement

Action executes. Signed confirmation returned. Interaction recorded for automatic billing between operators and infrastructure owners.

SIGNED CONFIRMATION · AUTOMATIC SETTLEMENT · USAGE ANALYTICS
03 — Architecture

Three components. Zero hardware.

URBANODE is pure software. No proprietary devices to manufacture, deploy, or maintain. Existing infrastructure gets upgraded via firmware update.

Emitters
SDK Emitter (~100KB) discover() request() status()
Platform
Certificate Authority Geospatial Registry Permission Engine Settlement Monitoring Digital Twin Routing
Nodes
SDK Receiver (~100KB) Embedded Safety State Reporting Adapter Layer
04 — Coverage

Street to apartment door.

Every type of urban infrastructure an autonomous emitter encounters on its journey.

🚦

Traffic Signals

TRAFFIC_SIGNAL
🚪

Building Access

BUILDING_ACCESS
🛗

Elevators

ELEVATOR
🔔

Doorbells

DOORBELL
🔐

Smart Locks

SMART_LOCK
🚧

Barriers

BARRIER

Ramps

RAMP
🗑️

Waste Containers

WASTE_CONTAINER
📦

Package Lockers

PACKAGE_LOCKER

Charging Stations

CHARGING_STATION

Compatible emitters.

🤖

Delivery Robots

Sidewalk delivery

🦾

Humanoid Robots

Service & logistics

🛸

Drones

Aerial delivery

Accessibility

Assisted mobility

05 — Security

The node is the final authority.

No external request can override embedded safety rules. The physical device always has the last word.

Authentication

Mutual TLS 1.3

Both emitter and node verify each other's identity through ECDSA P-256 certificates. Compromised emitters revoked in <60 seconds across the entire network.

Proximity

Anti-spoofing

Physical presence verified through BLE, UWB, or NFC — independent of GPS. Multi-technology simultaneous verification available.

Embedded

Safety-first logic

Fire alarm → door stays locked. Emergency vehicle → signal rejects override. Elevator at capacity → call denied. Rules are immutable and local.

Reputation

Dynamic scoring

Each emitter earns a reputation score based on denial rates, safety triggers, and anomalous patterns. Higher risk = stricter verification.

Offline

Autonomous operation

Nodes cache certificates and CRLs locally. Full protocol execution continues during platform disconnection. Emitters bridge connectivity for offline nodes.

Audit

Immutable logging

Every interaction — every decision, every denial — is logged with tamper-proof retention for a minimum of 90 days.

06 — Data Layer

Infrastructure intelligence
that doesn't exist today.

Every R2I interaction generates real-time operational data. Data that no navigation platform has access to.

Real-time urban infrastructure state

URBANODE creates a synchronized digital twin of connected infrastructure — queryable by authorized entities, updated in real time.

Traffic signal phase & time remaining
Building door open / locked / blocked
Elevator floor, direction & capacity
Package locker availability
Charging station status
Waste container fill level
Ramp activation state
Predictive maintenance alerts
07 — Accessibility

Same protocol. Same nodes.
For people who need it most.

Assistive devices for people with reduced mobility can register with an accessibility certificate — using the same infrastructure, the same security layers, with priority queuing and extended pedestrian phases. No additional hardware. EU Directive 2019/882 compliant data.

Get in touch

Build the R2I standard together.

URBANODE is seeking integration partners — robot operators, infrastructure manufacturers, and smart city platforms.

contact@urbanode.io