An approach to the certification of autonomous systems

This paper outlines the approach taken to produce a certified autonomous vehicle under a project funded by the UK Technology Strategy Board. The aim of the project was to show that it is possible to automate system design validation as well as the verification of an implementation in software. By doing so, we showed considerable potential for reduced time and cost while still being able to meet certification requirements. The project used a Maritime Autonomous System case study and used the COLREGS [1], but applied the stringent DO-178C [2] software safety assurance requirements from the aerospace domain. The project focussed on the use of Formal Methods and hence exploited the technology specific supplement DO-333 [3]. The project highlights the applicability of the approach to safety critical autonomous systems in any domain.