Assistive Multimodal Robotic System (AMRSys): Security and Privacy Issues, Challenges, and Possible Solutions

Assistive robotic systems could be a suitable solution to support a variety of health and care services, help independent living, and even simulate affection, to reduce loneliness. However, adoption is limited by several issues, as well as user concerns about ethics, data security, and privacy. Othe...

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Main Authors: Jims Marchang, Alessandro Di Nuovo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-02-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/4/2174
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author Jims Marchang
Alessandro Di Nuovo
author_facet Jims Marchang
Alessandro Di Nuovo
author_sort Jims Marchang
collection DOAJ
description Assistive robotic systems could be a suitable solution to support a variety of health and care services, help independent living, and even simulate affection, to reduce loneliness. However, adoption is limited by several issues, as well as user concerns about ethics, data security, and privacy. Other than the common threats related to internet connectivity, personal robotic systems have advanced interaction possibilities, such as audio, video, touch, and gestures, which could be exploited to gain access to private data that are stored in the robot. Therefore, novel, safer methods of interaction should be designed to safeguard users’ privacy. To solicit further research on secure and private multimodal interaction, this article presents a thorough study of the state-of-the-art literature on data security and user privacy in interactive social robotic systems for health and care. In our study, we focus on social robotics to assist older people, which is a global challenge that is receiving a great deal of attention from the robotics and social care communities. This application will have a significant positive impact on the economy and society, but poses various security and privacy issues. This article analyses the key vulnerable areas where data leakage could occur during a multimodal interaction with a personal assistive robotic system. Thus, blockchain with a resource-aware framework, along with a continuous multifactor authentication mechanism, are envisaged as a potential solution for making such systems secure by design; therefore, increasing trust, acceptability, and adoption. Among the key cybersecurity research challenges, it is crucial to create an intelligent mechanism that autonomously determines the right trade-off between continuous user prompts and system usability, according to data types and personal preferences.
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spelling doaj.art-7375f8e60e434b7cb7d998eeac0d318a2023-11-23T18:40:29ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172022-02-01124217410.3390/app12042174Assistive Multimodal Robotic System (AMRSys): Security and Privacy Issues, Challenges, and Possible SolutionsJims Marchang0Alessandro Di Nuovo1Computing Department & Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC), Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB, UKComputing Department & Advanced Wellbeing Research Centre (AWRC), Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield S1 1WB, UKAssistive robotic systems could be a suitable solution to support a variety of health and care services, help independent living, and even simulate affection, to reduce loneliness. However, adoption is limited by several issues, as well as user concerns about ethics, data security, and privacy. Other than the common threats related to internet connectivity, personal robotic systems have advanced interaction possibilities, such as audio, video, touch, and gestures, which could be exploited to gain access to private data that are stored in the robot. Therefore, novel, safer methods of interaction should be designed to safeguard users’ privacy. To solicit further research on secure and private multimodal interaction, this article presents a thorough study of the state-of-the-art literature on data security and user privacy in interactive social robotic systems for health and care. In our study, we focus on social robotics to assist older people, which is a global challenge that is receiving a great deal of attention from the robotics and social care communities. This application will have a significant positive impact on the economy and society, but poses various security and privacy issues. This article analyses the key vulnerable areas where data leakage could occur during a multimodal interaction with a personal assistive robotic system. Thus, blockchain with a resource-aware framework, along with a continuous multifactor authentication mechanism, are envisaged as a potential solution for making such systems secure by design; therefore, increasing trust, acceptability, and adoption. Among the key cybersecurity research challenges, it is crucial to create an intelligent mechanism that autonomously determines the right trade-off between continuous user prompts and system usability, according to data types and personal preferences.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/4/2174assistive technologymultimodal interactionsocial roboticsprivacysecurity
spellingShingle Jims Marchang
Alessandro Di Nuovo
Assistive Multimodal Robotic System (AMRSys): Security and Privacy Issues, Challenges, and Possible Solutions
Applied Sciences
assistive technology
multimodal interaction
social robotics
privacy
security
title Assistive Multimodal Robotic System (AMRSys): Security and Privacy Issues, Challenges, and Possible Solutions
title_full Assistive Multimodal Robotic System (AMRSys): Security and Privacy Issues, Challenges, and Possible Solutions
title_fullStr Assistive Multimodal Robotic System (AMRSys): Security and Privacy Issues, Challenges, and Possible Solutions
title_full_unstemmed Assistive Multimodal Robotic System (AMRSys): Security and Privacy Issues, Challenges, and Possible Solutions
title_short Assistive Multimodal Robotic System (AMRSys): Security and Privacy Issues, Challenges, and Possible Solutions
title_sort assistive multimodal robotic system amrsys security and privacy issues challenges and possible solutions
topic assistive technology
multimodal interaction
social robotics
privacy
security
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/12/4/2174
work_keys_str_mv AT jimsmarchang assistivemultimodalroboticsystemamrsyssecurityandprivacyissueschallengesandpossiblesolutions
AT alessandrodinuovo assistivemultimodalroboticsystemamrsyssecurityandprivacyissueschallengesandpossiblesolutions