GPS is a key technology for unmanned vehicles because it allows them to calculate their location, navigation and time. People are worried that bad actors will use computer hardware to block the signal or deceive one of the satellites, which may scare the vehicle away. Previously, it was difficult to find GPS vulnerabilities in a mobile environment because the US federal law prohibits real-time transmission of GPS signals without prior authorization. SWRI’s simulation test system places a physical component on or aligned with the vehicle’s GPS antenna and remotely monitors GPS signals on the ground. The system receives the actual GPS signal from the vehicle antenna, processes it and inserts an analog signal, and then broadcasts the analog signal to the GPS receiver of the vehicle. This allows the deception system to fully control the GPS receiver.
Therefore, SWRI successfully developed a test that automakers can use to test the reliability of their driverless systems without angering federal regulators. Victor Murray, the head of the network team, said: “Analyzing the system response by demonstrating the transmission of steerable or steerable GPS signals is a legitimate way for us to improve the resilience of the autonomous vehicle network. “The system of the SWRI group. When testing the system on a self-driving car on a test track, the engineers were able to change the heading of the car by 10 meters and knock it down on the road. The vehicle may also turn sooner or later.
Murray said: “Most self-driving cars do not rely on GPS alone because they use a combination of sensors such as lidar, camera vision, GPS and other tools.” “However, GPS provides the basis for positioning in many systems. Therefore, It is important for manufacturers to be able to design technology to address vulnerabilities.” The new system is part of SWRI’s internal research program. Future research will focus on the role of GPS deception in drones and airplanes. Last month, researchers at the University of Illinois devised a method that can use a system of sensors, encoders, and decoders to determine when to broadcast false signals, thereby using GPS Jammers to eliminate malicious signal interference.