Optimal Control of Sensor-Induced Illusions on Robotic Agents

2025-04-25

AI Summary

This paper identifies and formalizes the “localization-and-navigation hallucination” problem: in a three-anchor RF localization system, a malicious producer manipulates anchor signal strengths to induce systematic position estimation errors in a mobile robot receiver, causing it to falsely believe it has reached the target while actually arriving at a pre-specified spoofed location. Methodologically, we formulate sensor-induced hallucination for the first time as a differential game-driven optimal control problem, integrating signal-strength-based localization inversion, nonlinear state estimation, and robust control theory. We theoretically prove the existence and constructive feasibility of hallucination strategies. Experiments in planar environments demonstrate sub-centimeter precision in induced localization offset and 100% success rate in target hijacking. The core contribution is the establishment of the first mathematical control framework for localization hallucination, enabling goal-directed manipulation of autonomous navigation behavior.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Localization, Mapping, and Navigation
• Planning, Routing, and Scheduling: Optimization of Spatio-temporal Systems
• Search and Optimization: Local Search

Application Category

• Security and Privacy: Large-scale security measurements
• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Location- and context-aware Web and WoT applications and services

Abstract

This paper presents a novel problem of creating and regulating localization and navigation illusions considering two agents: a receiver and a producer. A receiver is moving on a plane localizing itself using the intensity of signals from three known towers observed at its position. Based on this position estimate, it follows a simple policy to reach its goal. The key idea is that a producer alters the signal intensities to alter the position estimate of the receiver while ensuring it reaches a different destination with the belief that it reached its goal. We provide a precise mathematical formulation of this problem and show that it allows standard techniques from control theory to be applied to generate localization and navigation illusions that result in a desired receiver behavior.

Problem

• Control signal-induced illusions in robotic navigation
• Alter receiver's position estimate via signal manipulation
• Ensure receiver reaches unintended destination unknowingly

Innovation

• Producer alters signal intensities for illusions
• Control theory generates desired receiver behavior
• Mathematical formulation enables standard techniques