Federated Byzantine Agreement-Inspired Blockchain Protocol for Swarm Robotics

In this study, we present a novel Federated Byzantine Agreement (FBA)-inspired consensus framework for swarm robotics, integrating blockchain technology to enhance security and efficiency. The proposed system leverages decentralized, scalable consensus without requiring global agreement, ensuring robustness against Byzantine attacks. We conducted extensive simulations using the ARGoS simulator and e-puck robots to validate the framework. Results indicate that the FBA approach significantly outperforms frameworks without blockchain and base blockchain configurations, demonstrating superior resilience and reliability in consensus maintenance. This framework is particularly applicable to real-world pi-puck and e-puck robots, offering a promising solution for secure and efficient swarm operations. The significant implications of this study include enhanced robustness of swarm robotics against cyber-attacks and improved consensus reliability, which are critical for practical deployments in complex and potentially adversarial environments.