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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - BROS (Blockchain: a new framework for swarm RObotic Systems)

Teaser

Summary

Swarm robotics systems have the potential to revolutionize many future applications, such as transportation systems and targeted material delivery. However, several of the characteristics that make them ideal for a diverse set of applications also hinder the evolution of this technology from academia to real-world problems. Recent research alerts about the lack of security standards in the field and suggests that before this technology can be safe, reliable, and trustworthy, new protocols and solutions need to be developed. Blockchain, demonstrates that by combining peer-to-peer networks with cryptographic algorithms, a group of agents can reach a consensus on a particular state of affairs without a centralized entity. A growing number of research works are starting to show that, following our initial discoveries, beyond financial applications (i.e., cryptocurrencies) blockchain-based technology can be an effective way to achieve tamper-resistant, secure data-sharing systems. In a nutshell, the combination of blockchain with distributed robotic systems, can provide the necessary capabilities to make these systems more secure, autonomous, flexible and even profitable. Therefore, the aim of my work during the outgoing phase has been to explore this synergy and provide innovative solutions to three emergent issues in the field of swarm robotics. First, by using cryptographic functions, new security models and methods were implemented in order to give data confidentiality and entity validation to swarm robotics systems, therefore making them suitable for trust-sensitive applications. Second, by including code-based transactions (a.k.a. smart contracts), consensus and collaborative missions were easily designed, implemented, and carried out autonomously by robot swarms. Finally, by using robots as nodes in a blockchain network, new methods for achieving a secure data-sharing among robots was achieved, something especially important as these systems become increasingly integrated into human society, which could even result in the creation of new business models for the robotics field.

Work performed

\"The main scientific achievements accomplished so far in this novel direction are the following:

(1) A novel method to encapsulate cooperative robotic missions in Merkle trees. With the proposed mechanism, swarm operators can provide the â€œblueprintâ€ of the swarmâ€™s mission without disclosing its raw data. In the paper titled \"\"Secure and secret cooperation of robotic swarms by using Merkle trees\"\", which is currently under review at Science Robotics, we have developed a new model to achieve secure and secret cooperation of robotic swarms by using Merkle trees (a fundamental technology in the blockchain space). This work proposes a novel model to encapsulate cooperative robotic missions in Merkle trees, one of the fundamental components of blockchain technology. With the proposed model, swarm operators can provide the \"\"blueprint\"\" of the swarm\'s mission without disclosing raw data about the mission itself. In other words, data verification can be separated from data itself. We propose a system where swarm robots have to \"\"prove\"\" their integrity to their peers by exchanging cryptographic proofs.

(2) The design, analysis and implementation of the first research project that combines swarms of robots with blockchain-based â€œsmart contractsâ€ in order to discover malicious robot units (i.e., byzantine agents) within the swarm. In \"\"Managing Byzantine Robots via Blockchain Technology in a Swarm Robotics Collective Decision Making Scenario\"\", we provide a proof-of-concept for distributed decision-making processes in swarm robotics systems via blockchain technology. Our approach uses decentralized programs executed via blockchain technology (blockchain-based smart contracts) to establish secure swarm coordination mechanisms to reach group consensus but also to identify and exclude Byzantine swarm members. We studied the performance of our blockchain-based approach in a collective decision-making scenario both in the presence and absence of Byzantine robots and compared our results to those obtained with an existing collective decision approach. The results show a clear advantage of the blockchain approach when Byzantine robots are part of the swarm. The main scientific achievement of this work is that with the proposed method robotic swarms can now spot and flag malicious members in an autonomous way. By finding â€œinconsistenciesâ€ in a distributed ledger, robots can now understand which members of the swarm are outliers (i.e., produce information that destabilize the system) and act accordingly.

(3) The simulation and analysis of several \"\"real-world\"\" robotic systems such as Autonomous Vehicles (AV), Smart Factories (SF), and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and its interaction with blockchain-based technology. In \"\"BASIC: Towards a Blockchained Agent-Based SImulator for Cities\"\", \"\"Robotic Services for New Paradigm Smart Cities Based on Decentralized Technologies\"\" and \"\"Grex: A Decentralized Hive Mind\"\", we explored the possibility to test the models and methods developed in the aforementioned objectives with real-world robotic systems such as Autonomous Vehicles (AV), Smart Factories (SF), and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). In case of the former, we understand that AVs can disrupt urban mobility. However, in order to operate, AVs are expected to collect and analyze a lot of sensitive data about our daily activities as citizens, tourists, etc. However, current operational models for these devices have extensively relied on centralized models of managing these data. The security of these models unveiled significant issues. Our work proposes a tool that verifies the feasibility of using blockchain as a communication medium between AVs. Second, \"\"Robotic Services for New Paradigm Smart Cities Based on Decentralized Technologies\"\" describes different methods of organizing robotic services (i.e., smart factories) for smart cities using secure encrypted decentralized technologies and market mechanisms. This work shows how Ethereum network\"

Final results

The summary of our achievements is described in the following points: 1) we have conducted extensive research on the objectives outlined above as well as published foundational works. 2) We were also able to organize the first events in the field (see attached image). In particular, we have created impact by: i) proposing methods that allow robots to cooperate without having explicit knowledge about its missionâ€™s high-level goals or objectives and therefore increasing its security. ii) demonstrating for the first time that blockchain-based \'\'smart contracts\'\' are a viable solution to handle distributed-decision making processes in swarm robotics systems. iii) A careful analysis of real-world systems such as UAVs, AVs, SF, etc. has shown that the combination of autonomous robotic systems and blockchain-based technology has benefits on the verification, validation, and security of these systems opening the path towards more autonomous, flexible and even profitable systems.