Complete Agent-driven Model-based System Testing for Autonomous Systems

TL;DR

This paper proposes a comprehensive agent-driven, model-based testing framework for autonomous transportation systems that combines formal proofs, simulated environment testing, and optimized parallel execution to improve verification and validation efficiency.

Contribution

It introduces a novel agent-based, complete testing approach that integrates formal correctness proofs with system-level testing and coverage criteria for autonomous systems.

Findings

Formal proofs ensure software logical correctness.

Parallel online testing optimizes large test suite execution.

Coverage criteria justify sufficient testing levels.

Abstract

In this position paper, a novel approach to testing complex autonomous transportation systems (ATS) in the automotive, avionic, and railway domains is described. It is intended to mitigate some of the most critical problems regarding verification and validation (V&V) effort for ATS. V&V is known to become infeasible for complex ATS, when using conventional methods only. The approach advocated here uses complete testing methods on the module level, because these establish formal proofs for the logical correctness of the software. Having established logical correctness, system-level tests are performed in simulated cloud environments and on the target system. To give evidence that 'sufficiently many' system tests have been performed with the target system, a formally justified coverage criterion is introduced. To optimise the execution of very large system test suites, we advocate an online testing approach where multiple tests are executed in parallel, and test steps are identified on-the-fly. The coordination and optimisation of these executions is achieved by an agent-based approach. Each aspect of the testing approach advocated here is shown to either be consistent with existing standards for development and V&V of safety-critical transportation systems, or it is justified why it should become acceptable in future revisions of the applicable standards.