Implementation of A Geofence-Based Anti-Theft System and Real-Time Notifications on USV

Abstract

Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) are increasingly deployed due to technological advancements, yet their physical security remains significantly under-explored. While anti-theft frameworks are widely adopted for land vehicles, these systems rely on passive anti-theft mechanisms—alerting the owner about the theft—and failed to prevent the physical removal of the asset from the threat. To address this critical gap, this study proposes an active anti-theft system for USVs with a dual-layer detection mechanism utilizing spatial geofencing and physical attitude anomaly detection. The system employs an on-board edge computing that autonomously triggers a closed-loop Return-to-Launch (RTL) maneuver upon detecting a geofence breach, while simultaneously transmitting real-time telemetry update to a Web-Based Ground Control Station (Web-GCS). Testing across controlled and real-world environments demonstrated that the system reliably executes autonomous return protocols with low-latency communication. By transitioning asset protection from passive anti-theft to active anti-theft, this multi-layered framework establishes a novel foundational framework for physical security in autonomous vessels.