Sneakernet on wheels: Trustworthy NFC-based robot to machine communication

Wireless communication technologies such as WiFi, ZigBee, or Bluetooth often suffer from interference due to many devices using the same, unregulated frequency spectrum. Also, wireless coverage can be insufficient in certain areas of a building. At the same time, eavesdropping a wireless communication outside a building might be easy due to the extended communication range of particular technologies. These issues affect mobile robots and especially industrial mobile robots since the production process relies on dependable and trustworthy communication. Therefore, we present an alternative communication approach that uses Near Field Communication (NFC) to transfer confidential data such as production-relevant information or configuration updates. Due to NFC lacking security mechanisms, we propose a secured communication framework that is supported by dedicated hardware-based secure elements. To show the feasibility of our approach, an Industry 4.0 inspired production process that uses our communication approach is evaluated in simulation.