How Safety the Computer Controlled Devices Are?
Many of us have doubts regarding the safety of the devices employed in aircraft, high-speed train controls and other complex controls even though they are computer controlled. It’s time for us to take an ease breath as the researchers at the Carnegia Mellon University’s School of Computer Science came up with a new technology that systematically controls the devices that are employed in the Aircraft Collision Avoidance System, High Speed Train and other computer controlled devices. These controlled devices are collectively termed as “Cyber – Physical Systems” [CPS].
Edmund M.Clarke and Andre Platzer, Professor and Asst. Professor of Carnegia Mellon University have already proven this technology successfully by detecting a flaw in the Aircraft Collision Avoidance maneuvers. This prior identification of the flaw avoided mid-air collisions between the aircrafts. This method is also adapted and verified with the European Train Control System. The researchers’ task is to make the Cyber-Physical Systems more reliable rather than going for trial and error method, which also cause economic burden to the persons who are implementing it. Their ultimate aim is to prove that these complex Cyber-Physical Systems operate as intended. While implementing their method in aircraft collision avoidance systems, Platzer and Clarke used Roundabout maneuvers.
In normal case, when two aircrafts make a converging path with respect to each other a technique is employed to avoid collision. The technique is that the system orders each pilot to take right turn and then circle to left until the two aircrafts resume their original paths. This is based on general traffic circle rule in sky. But the researchers have found a counter type. Consider two aircrafts approaching each other; say in a converging path inclined at certain angles to each other, the roundabout maneuver creates a fresh course for collision to occur with a span of very few seconds before the two aircrafts cross each other. This short span of time is not enough for the pilots to avoid the collision.
Clarke developed a new technique for detecting and diagnosing the errors in very complex designed software and hardware. This technique analyzes the logic behind the design of the system. This is very similar to a mathematician verifying the proof part of his own theorem. Detection and error diagnosing of the Clarke method is very similar in nature of Model Checking. One merit of the model checking method over the researchers’ method is that the model checking is capable of examining the every possible solution of the discrete finite state system. A new circuit for a computer chip is a model check whereas this feature is not possible for a Cyber-Physical System. The nature of Cyber-Physical System is that is should interact with the real world, which is almost infinitely variable in nature.
Platzer and Clarke shed their brain in developing algorithms for Cyber-Physical System. These algorithms decompose the system till the differential invariants are produced. The global logic of the Cyber Physical System is proved through the differential invariants. The researchers’ are very confident of their method of proving the reliability of the computer controlled devices if and only if the design of the system is very sound such as European Control System for Train Traffic and the Aircraft Collision Avoidance Controller. Whenever there is a flaw in the system, counter examples are generated as said above aircraft collision avoidance system. This method of proving the reliability of the Cyber-Physical System will increase in day-to-day life only when these systems become abundant in everyday life.
The researchers also added that the checking the CPS such as Medical devices, Aircraft Instrumentation, Cars are very expensive in nature. The verification of the Cyber-Physical System [CPS] and its design procedures are becoming a key area of research according to the latest news released by the National Science Foundation [NSF]. The National Science Foundation and German Research Council fund this research by Clarke and Platzer.
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