Automatic Verification of Autonomous Robot Missions

Abstract

Before autonomous robotics can be used for dangerous or critical missions, performance guarantees should be made available. This paper overviews a software system for the verification of behavior-based controllers in context of chosen hardware and environmental models. Robotic controllers are automatically translated to a process algebra. The system comprising both the robot and the environment are then evaluated by VIPARS, a verification software module in development, and compared to specific performance criteria. The user is returned a probability that the performance criteria will hold in the uncertainty of real-world conditions. Experimental results demonstrate accurate verification for a mission related to the search for a biohazard.

Probabilistic Verification of Multi-robot Missions in Uncertain Environments

“…The MissionLab mission is automatically translated to PARS [12], the formal language of VIPARS. The designer then selects which library models of Pioneer 3-AT, sonar and gyroscope, and moderately cluttered indoor environment to use.…”

“…The behavioral FSA is translated to a MissionLab internal language called CNL [11] which does contain all this information. A translator from CNL to the process algebra PARS [12] produces a model of the program which does have all the detail for verification. For the bounding overwatch mission, the following performance criteria are used to evaluate mission performance:…”

“…automated translator in [12] (which is currently restricted to single-robot missions). The robot, sensor and environment library models were developed using the CMG representation.…”

“…In that approach, the mission designer builds the robot program using the graphical MissionLab [10] [11] mission design editor. The mission is automatically translated [12] into an internal process algebra (PARS -Process Algebra for Robot Schemas) from which static analysis algorithms [13] extract a set of probabilistic relations for the program and environment variables. A Bayesian Network approach is constructed from these relations and used to verify the performance of the program.…”

Strategy Synthesis for Autonomous Agents Using PRISM

“…Formal verification of robot missions is considered in [27], however here the focus is on evaluating existing controllers. Similarly, in [6] model checking is used to verify the decision making aspect of autonomous systems.…”