Computer Safety and Functional Safety

Guaranteeing functional safety: design for provability and computer-aided verification

When autonomous robots begin to share the human living and working spaces, safety becomes paramount. It is legally required that the safety of such systems is ensured, e. g. by certification according to relevant standards such as IEC 61508. However, such safety considerations are usually not addressed in academic robotics. In this paper we report on one such successful endeavour, which is conc...

Designing Safety-Critical Computer Systems

40 Computer Designing Safety-Critical Computer Systems T he ubiquitous computer is firmly established as the electronic component of choice for designing systems that control safety-critical applications. Such applications can be found everywhere: aircraft fly-by-wire controls, oil and chemical processing, hospital life-support systems, manufacturing robotics, and countless other commercial and...

Ethics and the Safety of Computer Systems

In the March 1990 issue of Computer (pp. 77-81), I wrote about the general principles on which ethics for the computer profession should be based and suggested some steps the profession could take to encourage and sustain ethical behavior among its members. As several readers have since noted quite rightly, I think more specifics are needed, especially in two areas: First, how ethical principle...

O1: Roads Safety and Neurotrauma

Road traffic accidents account for approximately 3000 deaths on a daily basis, and 50 million injuries and 1.2 million deaths each year. In low-income and middle income countries, road traffic accidents account for 85% of deaths and 90% of annual disability. Casualties of this magnitude are a serious problem throughout the world and create a significant impact on society. In addition, neurologi...

Redefining Workplace Safety and Health