A group of Saskatchewan Polytechnic students is helping make drone communications safer, thanks to a partnership with mPowered Technologies and the polytech's Digital Integration Centre of Excellence (DICE).
The team of nine students and researchers has enhanced a patent-pending encryption system designed to protect unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from cyberattacks a growing concern as drones become more common in industries ranging from emergency response to infrastructure inspection.
For this project students built a drone communication system in a simulated lab using MAVLink v2, a common communication protocol for drones. MAVLink doesn't include encryption, which makes it vulnerable to certain cyberattacks by bad actors. To fix this weakness, the DICE team improved a patent-pending technology that was developed by mPowered Technologies to protect the drone's data and prevent unauthorized access.
"This is a Canadian-made solution to a global problem," says Dr. Terry Peckham, DICE director. "Our students have shown incredible initiative, applying cutting-edge cryptography to real-world challenges. Their work is not only technically sound but also elegant in its execution."
Student working groups tackled individual project components including a lightweight encryption implementation and infiltration testing in a simulated lab to ensure the encryption worked. As the work progressed, all team members focused on securing drone-to-controller communications and testing system resilience in various cyberattack scenarios.
Joel Sotomayor, founder of mPowered Technologies, is excited about the collaboration with DICE. "We're proud to see our Canadian technology and innovative solutions developed right here in Saskatchewan. This project has drawn international interest and showcases the talent and ingenuity of Sask Polytech students and DICE researchers and highlights the importance of bridging businesses and applied research to create research driven solutions."
The drone used in testing was grounded with motors running but no flights, ensuring safety while allowing for realistic communication trials while students tried to hack the encryption. Ethical hacking techniques were employed to evaluate the system's resistance to common attacks.
Beyond technical achievement for mPowered Technologies, the project highlights the transformative impact on students. Weekly presentations and collaborative problem-solving fostered confidence and teamwork. "Some students who were hesitant to speak at the start are now presenting at conferences," says Peckham. "It's a collaborative and supportive environment to be a part of."
The mPowered Technologies team is exploring commercial applications of the technology, which may include defense, emergency response, infrastructure inspection and more. By securing UAV communications, the project helps prevent malicious interference that could lead to catastrophic outcomes. mPowered Technologies would like to thank the DICE team for their exceptional work on this encryption project including six students Brian Denton, Stephen Odero, Rurik Lung, Troy Rosin, Joshua Peckham and Siddharth Gajjar; along with researchers Bevish Jinila Yesudas and Shahrzad Golestani Najafabadi and manager Kelvin Boechler.
By partnering with DICE, organizations have access to exceptional computational facilities, faculty expertise, and talented student researchers, along with research and development funding and a vast network of connections. Through applied research expertise and facilities, Sask Polytech is ready to help turn ideas into reality.
Learn more at saskpolytech.ca/dice.
mPowered Technologies is a Canadian deep technology firm dedicated to creating solutions aimed at enhancing the quality of life for individuals. Rather than selling chips and computing power to address issues, we accomplish this through the application of advanced mathematical techniques.
Learn more at mpowered.io.
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