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Secure and secret cooperation in robotic swarms

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dc.contributor.authorCastelló, Eduardo
dc.contributor.authorHardjono, Thomas
dc.contributor.authorPentland, Alex 'Sandy'
dc.contributor.authorDorigo, Marco
dc.contributor.rorhttps://ror.org/02jjdwm75
dc.date.accessioned2025-07-17T10:37:29Z
dc.date.available2025-07-17T10:37:29Z
dc.date.issued2021-07-21
dc.description.abstractThe importance of swarm robotics systems in both academic research and real-world applications is steadily increasing. However, to reach widespread adoption, new models that ensure the secure cooperation of large groups of robots need to be developed. This work introduces a method to encapsulate cooperative robotic missions in an authenticated data structure known as a Merkle tree. With this method, operators can provide the “blueprint” of the swarm’s mission without disclosing its raw data. In other words, data verification can be separated from data itself. We propose a system where robots in a swarm, to cooperate toward mission completion, have to “prove” their integrity to their peers by exchanging cryptographic proofs. We show the implications of this approach for two different swarm robotics missions: foraging and maze formation. In both missions, swarm robots were able to cooperate and carry out sequential tasks without having explicit knowledge about the mission’s high-level objectives. The results presented in this work demonstrate the feasibility of using Merkle trees as a cooperation mechanism for swarm robotics systems in both simulation and real-robot experiments, which has implications for future decentralized robotics applications where security plays a crucial role.
dc.description.peerreviewedyes
dc.description.statusPublished
dc.formatapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.citationFerrer, E. C., Hardjono, T., Pentland, A., & Dorigo, M. (2021). Secure and secret cooperation in robot swarms. Science Robotics, 6(56),
dc.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.abf1538
dc.identifier.issn2470-9476
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14417/3840
dc.issue.number56
dc.journal.titleScience Robotics
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherScience
dc.relation.departmentComputer Science and AI
dc.relation.departmentSci Tech (Data Science)
dc.relation.entityIE University
dc.relation.schoolIE School of Science & Technology
dc.rightsAttribution 4.0 International
dc.rights.accessRightsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/deed
dc.subject.keywordRobotics
dc.subject.keywordCryptography and Security
dc.subject.keywordData Structures and Algorithms
dc.subject.keywordEmerging Technologies
dc.subject.keywordMultiagent Systems
dc.titleSecure and secret cooperation in robotic swarms
dc.typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.version.typeinfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion
dc.volume.number6
dspace.entity.typePublication
relation.isAuthorOfPublicationd856da22-e435-4a12-9b26-e796dce159c5
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscoveryd856da22-e435-4a12-9b26-e796dce159c5
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