Industrial robots are automated machines designed to perform tasks in manufacturing and production environments. They can be utilized for various applications, including material handling, assembly, welding, and quality control. The adoption of industrial robots is steadily increasing alongside other automation solutions, as automation in manufacturing can increase efficiency, improve reliability, provide a safer work environment, and reduce production costs. A common type of industrial robot is a six-joint arm with an end effector—the tool attached to the arm’s end (see, e.g., Figure 2). The mechanical part is powered by the robot controller, which runs specialized firmware. The most prominent manufacturers of industrial robots include ABB, Kawasaki, KUKA, and Fanuc.
To program industrial robots for their tasks, a simulation—running on an engineer’s computer in an office or shop floor environment—can be used. Programming the robot in a simulation eliminates the risk of damaging the robot and enables faster iteration between program versions. Companies use simulation to ensure that the correct robot is selected and that all necessary components are within the robot’s reach. As a result, they can set up a robot faster, saving time and money.
A previous thesis has analyzed Roboguide, the simulation software by Fanuc. As we did not have access to a physical robot some attacks could not be tested. In this thesis we want to extend this work by analyzing another simulation software and—if possible—test the results on a real robot.
Requirements:
- General knowledge about IT security and/or ability to use regarding a wide range of topics, like network protocols (FTP, SSH, …), web components, and file formats.
- Ability to adapt the security thinking to a different field (IT vs OT security).