Mode-dependent switching control of bilateral teleoperation against random denial-of-service attacks

As communication networks are implemented for information exchange between the master and slave sides of bilateral teleoperation systems, they are exposed to cyber-attack threats. This paper aims to analyse the performance of bilateral teleoperation systems in the presence of random denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and constant transmission delays and propose a mode-dependent switching controller to mitigate the influence of DoS attacks. The characteristics of DoS attacks and networks are thoroughly incorporated in the design; also considered is the case of both communication directions behaving independently. Specifically, the model of a teleoperation system under a DoS attack is integrated as a stochastic jump system. A mode-dependent control approach is proposed for a teleoperation system to mitigate the influence of random DoS attacks. In case studies, vulnerability analysis and time-domain simulation results show that teleoperation system performance can be degraded under continuous random DoS attacks. When the proposed mode-based switching controllers are installed, the trajectory tracking performance and authenticity of interaction force feedback are significantly improved during the attacking period.