Sumukh Shivakumar

EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley

Technical Report No. UCB/EECS-2020-99

May 29, 2020

http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2020/EECS-2020-99.pdf

Distributed Mobile Robotics (DMR) systems are increasingly present in complex autonomous missions, which creates excitement around autonomous robots, but raises questions of safety. Safety of these DMR systems cannot always be guaranteed at design time. To address this, we provide a language-based approach for run-time assurance for robotic systems based on the Robot Operating System (ROS). We present SOTER, an updated run-time assurance (RTA) framework for building safe, distributed robotic systems on ROS. The SOTER framework specifically contains a programming language for implementing reactive robotic software and an integrated run-time assurance system that allows programmers to use uncertified components, but still provide safety guarantees. We demonstrate the efficacy of SOTER using a multi-robot surveillance case study, with multiple run-time assurance modules. Through rigorous simulation, we show that SOTER enabled systems ensure safety, even when using third-party components.

Advisors: Sanjit A. Seshia

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BibTeX citation:

@mastersthesis{Shivakumar:EECS-2020-99,
    Author= {Shivakumar, Sumukh},
    Title= {A Language-Based Approach to Run-Time Assurance for Autonomous Systems},
    School= {EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley},
    Year= {2020},
    Month= {May},
    Url= {http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2020/EECS-2020-99.html},
    Number= {UCB/EECS-2020-99},
    Abstract= {Distributed Mobile Robotics (DMR) systems are increasingly present in complex autonomous missions, which creates excitement around autonomous robots, but raises questions of safety. Safety of these DMR systems cannot always be guaranteed at design time. To address this, we provide a language-based approach for run-time assurance for robotic systems based on the Robot Operating System (ROS). We present SOTER, an updated run-time assurance (RTA) framework for building safe, distributed robotic systems on ROS. The SOTER framework specifically contains a programming language for implementing reactive robotic software and an integrated run-time assurance system that allows programmers to use uncertified components, but still provide safety guarantees. We demonstrate the efficacy of SOTER using a multi-robot surveillance case study, with multiple run-time assurance modules. Through rigorous simulation, we show that SOTER enabled systems ensure safety, even when using third-party components.},
}

EndNote citation:

%0 Thesis
%A Shivakumar, Sumukh 
%T A Language-Based Approach to Run-Time Assurance for Autonomous Systems
%I EECS Department, University of California, Berkeley
%D 2020
%8 May 29
%@ UCB/EECS-2020-99
%U http://www2.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2020/EECS-2020-99.html
%F Shivakumar:EECS-2020-99