Blockchain: facilitating secure sharing of data among robots

During the Salon AI Paris in June 2018, smart robot expert AKEOPLUS and the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) of Grenoble presented a research project that should enable artificial intelligences which control robots to share data via a blockchain.

In the era of the fourth industrial revolution, everything is connected and data is decentralised. This means that on a supply chain involving several players all generating data, the question will be raised as to the origin of the data used by the artificial intelligences to make decisions. Especially if they are incorrect or if there is a problem on the supply chain.

The AKEOPLUS and CEA Grenoble research project is thus first looking to provide visibility and traceability of decisions made by the artificial intelligences, be this for legal or for contractual reasons. It also aims to automate and streamline the transfer of contracts within the supply chain thanks to blockchain, particularly for maintenance, as the robots will be able to order their own spare parts. What’s more, it may be possible for the platform to be applied to other use cases, such as the collaboration of multi-agent robots within a factory, or even in other sectors. The research programme will run for three years, and a first proof of concept will be carried out at the end of 2018 in conjunction with leading French industrialists.