Blockchain framework sets new standard for secure autonomous vehicle navigation

Researchers have developed a new blockchain-powered framework that they say will revolutionize the way autonomous vehicles (AVs) communicate and operate securely in smart cities.

The study, titled “An Integrated Blockchain Framework for Secure Autonomous Vehicle Communication System” and published in Information (2025, Volume 16, Article 557), introduces the DEMU-NAV framework, an open-source, blockchain-based solution that integrates Smart Contracts, the Internet of Things (IoT), and artificial intelligence to establish a secure, decentralized navigation ecosystem for AVs.

How does the framework address AV security and communication challenges?

The DEMU-NAV framework was developed in response to persistent security, coordination, and data transparency challenges in AV communication systems. As autonomous mobility increasingly moves from labs to public roads, ensuring reliable data exchange between vehicles, authorities, and external agents such as hospitals becomes paramount.

DEMU-NAV leverages blockchain's decentralized architecture to create an immutable ledger of transactions, each governed by Smart Contracts. This setup eliminates single points of failure and reduces the risk of tampering or unauthorized access. The framework introduces a novel layered permission structure that categorizes AV interactions into three levels:

• First Level: Human-to-AI interactions, where a vehicle owner initiates or restricts the vehicle's autonomous capabilities.
• Second Level: Communication between AVs and navigation authorities, allowing real-time, permissioned access to relevant traffic or safety data.
• Third Level: Peer-to-peer data exchange among vehicles or public infrastructure in open environments, with Smart Contracts enforcing secure communication protocols.

Each interaction, whether internal diagnostics or external commands, is cryptographically signed and recorded on a blockchain ledger. The authors demonstrate how this system balances privacy with accessibility, allowing for both public telemetry data sharing and restricted, authenticated exchanges when sensitive information is involved.

What technical architecture powers the DEMU-NAV system?

At the core of DEMU-NAV is a layered software architecture modeled after Blockchain-IoT convergence principles. The system comprises four interdependent layers:

1. Perception Layer: Interfaces with all AV sensors and IoT devices, collecting environmental data such as traffic light status, pedestrian detection, or road conditions.
2. Communication Layer: Manages wireless transmission using protocols like WiFi, LoRa, and gateways. The use of LoRa, in particular, allows for reliable communication in rural or low-infrastructure areas—a significant advance over standard 5G or WiFi-dependent systems.
3. Blockchain Composite Layer: Houses sub-layers for data propagation, consensus algorithms, and Smart Contract execution. This layer ensures data integrity and enforces transaction rules without human intervention.
4. Industrial Application Layer: Though DEMU-NAV currently focuses on AV navigation, the system is scalable to other domains, including healthcare logistics, food delivery, and industrial automation.

Notably, DEMU-NAV is implemented in Python and Solidity (Ethereum-based), with source code openly available via GitHub. The system supports high-speed cryptographic authentication through elliptic curve digital signatures, ensuring both performance and security in high-traffic environments.

In comparative tests, the ECDSA-secp521r1 cryptographic algorithm demonstrated an optimal balance of security and efficiency for AV applications. Other contenders such as Ed25519 and ECDSA-secp256r1 were evaluated but showed either higher memory consumption or slower response times. The selected algorithm ensures real-time validation for over 10,000 transactions, a critical feature for AV fleets operating simultaneously.

How does DEMU-NAV enable real-world scenarios and future expansion?

The authors validated DEMU-NAV in three real-world navigation scenarios, each demonstrating its robustness and flexibility:

• Scenario 1: A vehicle initiates a connection to the decentralized blockchain to perform system checks. The AV shares its operational status with the network via a Smart Contract, without requiring prior human approval, a low-level, public interaction.

• Scenario 2: A complex interplay among the AV, its legal proxy (owner), and a navigation authority. In this case, permissions must be granted and logged via secure Smart Contracts before the AV can begin navigation. The system even accommodates emergency overrides, such as medical scenarios, provided a legal witness (e.g., hospital) authenticates the situation.

• Scenario 3: AVs operate in open, infrastructure-poor environments using LoRa communication. Vehicles detect nearby LoRa antennas, often placed at strategic urban sites like hospitals or government buildings, and relay their telemetry to be recorded on-chain. This enables secure, remote logging without centralized infrastructure, making it ideal for rural or disaster-prone regions.

Each scenario highlights how DEMU-NAV balances public data utility with strict access control for sensitive interactions. Smart Contracts dynamically adapt between public, private, and hybrid modes, depending on the context and actors involved.

Moreover, the framework's future-ready design positions it for integration with Explainable AI (XAI) systems. Future enhancements will improve long-range communication and energy efficiency, with plans to integrate Jetson Nano boards and higher-gain antennas for wider IoT coverage.