Industry Best Practices in Robotics Software Engineering

TL;DR

This paper summarizes best practices in robotics software engineering from a panel discussion, highlighting architecting, model-driven development, testing, and challenges faced by leading organizations.

Contribution

It compiles industry insights and practical approaches from top robotics organizations, providing a comprehensive overview of current best practices.

Findings

Architecting practices at NASA/Caltech JPL

Model-driven development at Bosch

Testing autonomous systems at Waymo

Abstract

Robotics software is pushing the limits of software engineering practice. The 3rd International Workshop on Robotics Software Engineering held a panel on "the best practices for robotic software engineering". This article shares the key takeaways that emerged from the discussion among the panelists and the workshop, ranging from architecting practices at the NASA/Caltech Jet Propulsion Laboratory, model-driven development at Bosch, development and testing of autonomous driving systems at Waymo, and testing of robotics software at XITASO. Researchers and practitioners can build on the contents of this paper to gain a fresh perspective on their activities and focus on the most pressing practices and challenges in developing robotics software today.