Exploring Adversarial Obstacle Attacks in Search-based Path Planning for Autonomous Mobile Robots

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Szvoren, Adrian, Liu, Jianwei, Kanoulas, Dimitrios, Tuptuk, Nilufer
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2025
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author Szvoren, Adrian
Liu, Jianwei
Kanoulas, Dimitrios
Tuptuk, Nilufer
author_facet Szvoren, Adrian
Liu, Jianwei
Kanoulas, Dimitrios
Tuptuk, Nilufer
contents Path planning algorithms, such as the search-based A*, are a critical component of autonomous mobile robotics, enabling robots to navigate from a starting point to a destination efficiently and safely. We investigated the resilience of the A* algorithm in the face of potential adversarial interventions known as obstacle attacks. The adversary's goal is to delay the robot's timely arrival at its destination by introducing obstacles along its original path. We developed malicious software to execute the attacks and conducted experiments to assess their impact, both in simulation using TurtleBot in Gazebo and in real-world deployment with the Unitree Go1 robot. In simulation, the attacks resulted in an average delay of 36\%, with the most significant delays occurring in scenarios where the robot was forced to take substantially longer alternative paths. In real-world experiments, the delays were even more pronounced, with all attacks successfully rerouting the robot and causing measurable disruptions. These results highlight that the algorithm's robustness is not solely an attribute of its design but is significantly influenced by the operational environment. For example, in constrained environments like tunnels, the delays were maximized due to the limited availability of alternative routes.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2504_06154
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Exploring Adversarial Obstacle Attacks in Search-based Path Planning for Autonomous Mobile Robots
Szvoren, Adrian
Liu, Jianwei
Kanoulas, Dimitrios
Tuptuk, Nilufer
Robotics
Path planning algorithms, such as the search-based A*, are a critical component of autonomous mobile robotics, enabling robots to navigate from a starting point to a destination efficiently and safely. We investigated the resilience of the A* algorithm in the face of potential adversarial interventions known as obstacle attacks. The adversary's goal is to delay the robot's timely arrival at its destination by introducing obstacles along its original path. We developed malicious software to execute the attacks and conducted experiments to assess their impact, both in simulation using TurtleBot in Gazebo and in real-world deployment with the Unitree Go1 robot. In simulation, the attacks resulted in an average delay of 36\%, with the most significant delays occurring in scenarios where the robot was forced to take substantially longer alternative paths. In real-world experiments, the delays were even more pronounced, with all attacks successfully rerouting the robot and causing measurable disruptions. These results highlight that the algorithm's robustness is not solely an attribute of its design but is significantly influenced by the operational environment. For example, in constrained environments like tunnels, the delays were maximized due to the limited availability of alternative routes.
title Exploring Adversarial Obstacle Attacks in Search-based Path Planning for Autonomous Mobile Robots
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.06154