Secure Cloud-Connected Robot Control using Private Blockchain

Abstract

With the increasing demand for remote operations and the challenges posed during the COVID-19 pandemic, industries across various sectors, including logistics, manufacturing, and education, have adopted virtual solutions. Cloud-based robot control has emerged as a viable approach for enabling safe remote operation of robots. However, along with the benefits, there are also risks associated with cloud-based robots. In this study, a secure cloud-based robot control system using a blockchain system was developed. The robot utilizes supervisory control to navigate via the internet. The communication system of the robot relies on the ThingsSentral cloud-based IoT platform; enabling communication between the user via a GUI developed using Python Tkinter and the local robot over the internet. To facilitate internet communication, the robot in this study incorporates an ESP32 microcontroller, which provides a low-cost and low-power system capable of connecting to Wi-Fi. However, cloud-based control systems are susceptible to cyberattacks, prompting the use of blockchain cybersecurity in this study to mitigate the risks. The data sent by the supervisor is stored within a private blockchain developed using Python, simultaneously being transmitted to the cloud platform. The developed security system addresses the risks associated with cloud-based robot control systems, such as data tampering and unauthorized misuse, by leveraging the Proof of Work (PoW) and hashing mechanisms.