Blockchain applications
in robotics and automation

Idea

In recent years, the demand for robotic devices and robots for business and for personal use has significantly increased. During this time, one of the main technological trends in the robotics field has been the concept of networks of cyber-physical systems (CPSs) — systems of embedded computing devices that cooperate with one another through network services for access and data processing, and actively interact with the surrounding physical world. Robotization of the economy and society will ultimately lead to the spread of “’smart cities”. However, the creation of multi-agent networks of CPS is inevitably introducing new and fundamental challenges that the research community will have to address in the coming years.

A giant number of connected devices leads to more security requirements.

A main issue is that the data collected within CPSs contain critical or private data that needs to be sufficiently protected against a variety of threats (e.g., errors or hacking, unwanted exploitation). Citizens and communities should be allowed to keep the ownership of their data. Large-scale robotic and AI applications such as those envisioned by “smart cities” face serious challenges due to the system and network heterogeneity and multi-vendor environments. This raises the need of developing new security, compatibility, data-sharing, etc. standards as well as ensuring the scalability of the network.

The problem of registration and monitoring of devices affects the public services and rule of law. From a business perspective, the key issue is finding a way to create value from applications, and to this end it is necessary to guarantee coordination of both economic and technical transactions.

The Blockchain, a public ledger whose information is protected by a consensus algorithm, and the new ‘future internet’ technologies based on decentralized peer-to-peer technologies known as Web 3.0, demonstrate the possibility to create a network of robotic devices, and has the ability to solve problems in multi-agent networks.

The workshop aims at providing to researchers and developers the possibility to present, discuss, and exchange ideas that address the benefits and challenges of decentralized ledger technologies in robotic applications. The workshop outcome will be novel ideas, challenges and possible solutions of practical and theoretical problems.