eess.SYSep 4, 2026

Resilient Control Loops in Autonomous Vehicles Under Adversarial Jamming via Spectral Perception and Network-Layer Failover

Authors: Luis Barajas, Colin Jeardoe, Jaewon Kim, Eman Hammad

Organizations: iSTAR Laboratory · Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA · Global Cyber Research Institute (GCRI)

Abstract

The operational integrity of autonomous mobile robots relies on the continuous availability of wireless control loops, making them highly attractive targets for adversarial intentional electromagnetic interference. This paper introduces a resilient, cross-layer framework that combines physical-layer spectral perception with network-layer routing optimization to protect middleware stability, such as ROS2, during intentional electromagnetic interference. Utilizing a software-defined radio front-end, the system extracts dynamic spectral descriptors, including spectral entropy and channel occupancy, to inform a Random Forest classifier that establishes adaptive environmental baselines. To ensure uninterrupted data flow, the architecture maintains dual pre-authenticated physical interfaces in a hot-standby configuration, enabling instantaneous failover through automated network routing table updates. Empirical validation on a physical ROS2 mobile robot testbed demonstrates that this adaptive hardware-assisted architecture optimizes communication recovery to an average of 141ms. This sub-second restoration translates directly into a 78.9% reduction in pooled root-mean-square path tracking error compared to software re-association, successfully securing system-level mission integrity.

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