The researchers also see the possibility of a hybrid setup that would allow a multi-robot system to “host and maintain an internal blockchain, often called a sidechain, that synchronizes relevant information with an externally hosted blockchain, or main chain, when possible.” Such an architecture would serve applications with intermittent connections to external infrastructure. However, scientists have yet to see much research on this hybrid solution.
Early research into a high degree of autonomy, with each robot being a blockchain node, shows initial success, Dorigo, Pacheco, Reina and Strobel said in Nature Reviews.
“A smart contract platform enabled a swarm of bots to detect inconsistencies in bot behaviors – some of the bots were Byzantine (or contradictory) – demonstrating how blockchain technology could add a layer of security on top of existing swarm robotic algorithms in a binary decision-making scenario,” they noted. “Importantly, robot swarms controlled by smart contracts have also resisted Sybil attacks, attacks in which a. small minority of robots forge numerous false identities in an attempt to take control of the swarm of robots.
This capability could benefit the military, particularly in underwater operations, where unmanned vehicles work below the surface to perform certain activities reliably.
“It is predicted that, in the near future, mobile multi-robot systems will be increasingly present in our lives to support people and industries in their daily activities,” the researchers explained. “In particular, mobile multi-robot systems could enable the efficient execution of activities such as environmental monitoring, waste collection including ocean cleaning and underwater exploration. …Mobile multi-robot systems could also provide important support in mitigating black swan events, such as nuclear disasters, earthquakes and terrorist attacks.”
The engineers emphasized that further research is needed on the growing application of blockchains to multi-robotic systems. “As of early 2024, only preliminary proofs of concept for coordinating and securing multi-robot systems via smart contracts have been reported,” they said in Nature Reviews. “Even though initial results are promising, the use of blockchain technology in multi-robot systems requires extensive research before it can be successfully deployed.”
Additionally, another issue the military will need to address is blockchain’s heavy reliance on cryptography, such as the Elliptic Curve Digital Signature Algorithm (ECDSA). The threat posed by upcoming powerful quantum computers to this standardized encryption makes blockchains vulnerable, according to Robert Campbell, an assistant professor at Capital Technology University, who published his research, Assessing Post-Quantum Distributed Ledger Cryptography, in the Journal of British Blockchain Association. , Flight. 2, number 1, printed ISSN: 2516-3949. ECDSA cryptography has been “often cloned” from the Bitcoin blockchain, he warned.
“Blockchain and distributed ledger technologies use an asymmetric digital signature scheme for private key generation,” Campbell said. “The ECDSA algorithm is the cryptography used by the Bitcoin blockchain to generate public and private keys. There is a misconception that blockchain technology “can’t be hacked.” The technology offers great promise for cybersecurity in many areas, but its limitations and strengths need to be defined. The Bitcoin blockchain, (with) ECDSA… has significant weaknesses, including the general structure of the algorithm, side-channel attacks, and threats from quantum computers.
