Security Considerations in AI-Robotics: A Survey of Current Methods, Challenges, and Opportunities

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have been inextricably intertwined since their inception. Today, AI-Robotics systems have become an integral part of our daily lives, from robotic vacuum cleaners to semi-autonomous cars. These systems are built upon three fundamental architectural elements: perception, navigation and planning, and control. However, while the integration of AI-Robotics systems has enhanced the quality our lives, it has also presented a serious problem - these systems are vulnerable to security attacks. The physical components, algorithms, and data that make up AI-Robotics systems can be exploited by malicious actors, potentially leading to dire consequences. Motivated by the need to address the security concerns in AI-Robotics systems, this paper presents a comprehensive survey and taxonomy across three dimensions: attack surfaces, ethical and legal concerns, and Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) security. Our goal is to provide users, developers and other stakeholders with a holistic understanding of these areas to enhance the overall AI-Robotics system security. We begin by surveying potential attack surfaces and provide mitigating defensive strategies. We then delve into ethical issues, such as dependency and psychological impact, as well as the legal concerns regarding accountability for these systems. Besides, emerging trends such as HRI are discussed, considering privacy, integrity, safety, trustworthiness, and explainability concerns. Finally, we present our vision for future research directions in this dynamic and promising field

Autonomous Vehicles in Road Tunnels : A Risk Safety Perspective

This study examines the challenges associated with deploying autonomous vehicles (AVs) in road tunnels, focusing on both operational aspects and vehicle-human interaction. This work explored that road tunnels present unique constraints, such as limited visibility and confined spaces, which necessitate careful consideration for AV integration. It is observed that factors like varying light conditions and restricted communication capabilities within tunnels impact AVs' performance. Additionally, the study investigates and categorizes challenges related to tunnel geometries, infrastructure modifications, sensor technologies, emergency situations, and human-machine interaction. Furthermore, this work comprehensively explored academic and non-academic literature, gathering contemporary knowledge on AVs in road tunnels in one place to provide a foundational base for researchers on this topic. In this regard, the adopted methodological framework is also presented for researchers' review. The other notable contribution is to specifically highlight the critical operational issues of human-AV interaction in tunnel environments. In the last section, it also proposes potential solutions to these issues. In doing so, it keeps the directional approach open for other researchers as there are insightful risk-related implications for further research in this significant domain