AI summary
Problem
Current robotic deployments lack transparent accountability and economic autonomy, relying on fragmented, centralized systems that obscure trust and liability. There is no unified framework to bridge digital trust mechanisms with physical robot embodiment for decentralized collaboration.
Approach
The authors introduce RODEO, a blockchain-based framework that bridges ROS and Ethereum to formalize Decentralized Autonomous Organizations for service robots, enabling task registration, cryptographic proof submission, and automated on-chain settlement.
Key results
- A ROS-Ethereum bridge enabling direct robot-blockchain interaction
- A customizable DAO template for integrating service robots into organizational workflows
- Cryptographic proof-verification mechanisms ensuring auditable task execution
- Experimental validation showing a robot doubled its income and funded 88 hours of autonomous operation via token reinvestment
Why it matters
Establishes a foundational model for trustless, economically autonomous robot organizations, offering a scalable path for industries deploying accountable service robots.
Abstract
Robots are improving their autonomy with mini- mal human supervision. However, auditable actions, transpar- ent decision processes, and new human-robot interaction models are still missing requirements to achieve extended robot auton- omy. To tackle these challenges, we propose RODEO (RObotic DEcentralized Organization), a blockchain-based framework that integrates trust and accountability mechanisms for robots. This paper formalizes Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) for service robots. First, it provides a ROS–ETH bridge between the DAO and the robots. Second, it offers templates that enable organizations (e.g., companies, universities) to integrate service robots into their operations. Third, it provides proof-verification mechanisms that allow robot actions to be auditable. In our experimental setup, a mobile robot was deployed as a trash collector in a lab scenario. The robot collects trash and uses a smart bin to sort and dispose of it correctly. Then, the robot submits a proof of the successful operation and is compensated in DAO tokens. Finally, the robot re-invests the acquired funds to purchase battery charging services. Data collected in a three day experiment show that the robot doubled its income and reinvested funds to extend its operating time. The proof-validation times of approximately one minute ensured verifiable task execution, while the accumulated robot income successfully funded up to 88 hours of future autonomous operation. The results of this research give insights about how robots and organizations can coordinate tasks and payments with auditable execution proofs and on-chain settlement.