SAS — Safer Autonomous Systems

Results in brief

Safer Autonomous Systems

What was the challenge? Previously, prevailing safety standards and assurance methods were tailored to systems featuring human intervention capabilities, rather than autonomous systems equipped with predefined responses. Furthermore, these methodologies assumed that once deployed, systems would remain static and not undergo learning or evolution. Nonetheless, advancements in machine learning have empowered autonomous systems to learn from errors and enhance safety. Despite these advancements, the integration of machine learning introduces an element of uncertainty in future decision-making, thereby presenting a formidable challenge for ensuring safety. Effectively addressing this challenge demanded a workforce possessing both high-level skills and a multidisciplinary approach. Why is it important for society? Autonomous systems have the potential to significantly reduce accidents, save lives, and prevent injuries on roads, in factories, and in other environments. However, societal acceptance of autonomous systems relies on trust. The public's perception of these technologies directly affects their adoption rates. Gaining trust through transparent safety measures, thorough validation & verification, and effective communication can facilitate the integration of autonomous systems into various sectors, from transportation to healthcare, thereby redefining industries for the better. In conclusion, building trust in the safety of autonomous systems is a cornerstone of societal progress. By assuring their reliability, society can unlock their full potential, improve safety, stimulate economic growth, and foster harmonious human-machine interaction. What were the overall objectives? SAS, the European Training Network for Safer Autonomous Systems, was a key instrument for getting people to trust autonomous systems by making the systems safer. In order to achieve this objective, a group of 15 highly skilled early-stage researchers investigated new forms of safety-assurance strategies, dynamic risk mitigation, fault-tolerant and failsafe hardware/software design, model-based safety analysis, as well as legal aspects related to autonomous systems.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Autonomous systems offer humankind tremendous opportunities, like freeing us from mundane tasks, carrying out risky procedures and generally giving us more time to enjoy the things we like doing. However, we lack trust in many forms of autonomous systems: partly this is human nature, but primarily because these systems, such as self-driving cars, have not demonstrated their safety credentials. Only by making these systems safer can we expect their widespread acceptance. The Safer Autonomous Systems (SAS) ETN is about getting people to trust these systems by making the systems safer. In order to achieve this objective and to train a group of highly skilled, responsible, future innovators, we will bring together 15 early-stage researchers (ESRs) to investigate new forms of system-safety engineering, dependability engineering, fault-tolerant and failsafe hardware/software design, model-based safety analysis, safety-assurance case development, cyber-security, as well as legal and ethical aspects. SAS will actively research the development of safer autonomous systems at multi-nationals like Bosch, but it also wants to stimulate the development of new safety designs, modelling and assurance techniques by involving the ESRs in SMEs and, potentially, their own start-ups. To help the ESRs put what they have learned during their research and S/T training into practise in their future careers, they will also receive soft-skills training to help them communicate effectively at all levels and become sought-after recruits. SAS is closely aligned with the high-priority areas of the EU, addressing many Horizon 2020 thematics, e.g., Industrial Leadership (Advanced manufacturing and processing), Societal Challenges (Smart, green and integrated transport; Secure, clean and efficient energy) and Excellent Science. But the most important output of SAS will be 15 well qualified people who have been trained to tackle many of the problems now being faced by European industry.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVEN · LeuvenCoordinatorBelgium
AIRBUS OPERATIONS SAS · ToulouseFrance
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRS · ParisFrance
CNH INDUSTRIAL BELGIUM · ZEDELGEMBelgium
EQUINOR ASA · StavangerNorway
FRAUNHOFER GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER ANGEWANDTEN FORSCHUNG EV · MunchenGermany
HORIBA MIRA LIMITED · NuneatonUnited Kingdom
JAGUAR LAND ROVER LIMITED · CoventryUnited Kingdom
LLOYD'S REGISTER EMEA · LONDONUnited Kingdom
Naïo Technologies SAS · Ramonville Saint AgneFrance
PORTABLE MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY LIMITED · Killarney KerryIreland
RH MARINE NETHERLANDS BV · SchiedamNetherlands
RHEINLAND-PFALZISCHE TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAT · KaiserslauternGermany
ROBERT BOSCH GMBH · Gerlingen-SchillerhoeheGermany
SICK AG · WaldkirchGermany
STICHTING MARITIEM RESEARCH INSTITUUT NEDERLAND · WageningenNetherlands
UNIVERSITY OF YORK · YORK NORTH YORKSHIREUnited Kingdom

SAS · Safer Autonomous Systems

Results in brief

Safer Autonomous Systems

Project objective

Participants

Links