Catalog

The robotics and autonomous systems communities have recently seen a significant and rapid increase in both the development of robots for commercial use and in interest in using robots in a wide range of novel applications. As these robotic systems, vehicles, and even embedded devices move towards much greater autonomy, we will require techniques for verification that provide much higher confidence than usual. Consequently, the analysis and test processes used for traditional systems must be significantly enhanced to provide increased confidence in this next wave of autonomous systems. The need for well understood and effective verification techniques will become vital as we move to commercial applications such as “driverless cars”, incorporate complex AI technologies, and utilize these systems in safety-critical scenarios.

There are a growing number of research developments concerning the verification of complex systems that can all impact upon this problem. These are clearly of relevance for designing, constructing and deploying autonomous systems but also have importance to Psychology (e.g. social robotics), Philosophy (e.g. machine ethics), and Law (e.g. certification). Furthermore, constructing autonomous systems without strong behavioral guarantees can lead to serious outcomes, and may consequently hold back the widespread adoption of these systems. As the research is fragmented and often not well publicized, this TC will coalesce this activity, drive the research agenda forward, and instill the necessity for verification firmly within industry, government, and the public.

https://www.ieee-ras.org/verification-of-autonomous-systems