Solutions/Autonomous Safe-State
Blueprint 03

Autonomous System Safe-State

Automatic transition to defined safe profiles when drift is detected in autonomous operations. Designed for systems where failure modes must be predictable and auditable.

Anduril, Shield AIFIG. 11, Claim 1(g)

1. Target System

Autonomous vehicles (UAV, UGV, USV), robotic systems, AI-driven defense platforms, and any system operating with delegated authority where safe degradation is mandatory. Applicable to both fully autonomous and human-on-the-loop configurations.

2. Threat Model

AI model drift during autonomous operations
Unauthorized mission parameter changes
Sensor spoofing or manipulation attacks
Communication link compromise or jamming
Adversarial inputs triggering unsafe behavior

3. Integration Points

Mission Policy Binding

Cryptographically bound operational envelope

Continuous Attestation

Runtime integrity verification at configurable intervals

Safe-State Profiles

Pre-defined fallback behaviors (RTB, hover, shutdown)

Evidence Chain

Tamper-evident audit trail for post-mission analysis

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    AUTONOMOUS SYSTEM                            │
│  ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐    ┌──────────────┐      │
│  │   Mission    │───▶│   Runtime    │───▶│   Actuator   │      │
│  │   Planner    │    │   Engine     │    │   Control    │      │
│  └──────────────┘    └──────┬───────┘    └──────────────┘      │
│                             │                                   │
│                    ┌────────▼────────┐                         │
│                    │  Local Governance │                        │
│                    │      Engine       │                        │
│                    │  ┌────────────┐  │                        │
│                    │  │ Attestation│  │                        │
│                    │  │   Loop     │  │                        │
│                    │  └────────────┘  │                        │
│                    └────────┬─────────┘                        │
│                             │                                   │
│              ┌──────────────┼──────────────┐                   │
│              ▼              ▼              ▼                    │
│         ┌────────┐    ┌────────┐    ┌────────┐                │
│         │  RTB   │    │  HOLD  │    │ DESCEND│                │
│         │        │    │        │    │        │                │
│         └────────┘    └────────┘    └────────┘                │
│                                                                 │
│         ═══════════════════════════════════════                │
│              SAFE-STATE PROFILE SELECTION                      │
│         ═══════════════════════════════════════                │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

4. Safe-State Profiles

RETURN_TO_BASE

Trigger: Link loss > threshold

Navigate to predetermined safe coordinates

HOLD_POSITION

Trigger: Mission parameter drift

Maintain current position and altitude

CONTROLLED_DESCENT

Trigger: Critical system anomaly

Execute safe landing sequence

EMERGENCY_SHUTDOWN

Trigger: Integrity failure

Immediate power-down with state preservation

5. Enforcement Guarantees

Deterministic Transitions

Safe-state selection based on policy mapping, not runtime decisions

Continuous Monitoring

Configurable attestation intervals down to sub-second

6. Measurable Outcomes

Evidence for Rules of Engagement documentation
Post-incident reconstruction from evidence chain
Audit trail for autonomous decision accountability
Reduced liability exposure through documented enforcement

Sample Bundle

Autonomous safe-state variant with mission simulation

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