In this digital age, we are increasingly using different systems, such as MRI scanners, systems that control bridge openings, or machines that produce computer chips. All these systems have supervisory controllers in their software. These controllers ensure the correct and safe operation of the systems. For example, they prevent a bridge from opening when cars are crossing it, or robots from colliding and causing damage in a machine.
Technological advancements are making these systems increasingly complex and demanding higher performance, which amplifies the need for more advanced and costly supervisory controllers. At the same time, there is a shortage of qualified engineers to develop this software.
In the funded project, Hendriks and Vaandrager will research how to develop supervisory controllers more efficiently using synthesis-based engineering.
Synthesis-based engineering (SBE)
Traditionally, software engineers think about every possible situation that may occur and how the system should respond. They then manually program the control software. With synthesis-based engineering (SBE), they describe how the system itself works and what the requirements for the system are, such as that a bridge must never open when there are cars on it, and that robots must never collide. The computer then automatically creates guaranteed correct models of supervisory controllers, considering the many trillions of possible situations the system may encounter, to ensure the system is always safe. The computer also automatically generates the software implementation based on these models. This saves engineers valuable time and effort and reduces errors.
Hendriks: "While SBE offers significant benefits, its adoption poses challenges due to its novelty and deviation from conventional practices. In this project, our aim is to enhance the understanding and traceability of the SBE process, empowering engineers to trust this innovative approach and implement it seamlessly. This not only saves time and reduces errors for engineers, but also enables companies to develop superior control software efficiently."
About the PPP-Innovation Scheme
The PPP-I encourages socially and economically relevant research in the medium to long term that is in line with the Knowledge and Innovation Agendas of the mission-driven innovation policy and the top sectors. Collaboration between knowledge institutions and the industry is crucial, as it allows the developed academic approaches to be validated on complex real-world use cases, such that industry can adopt them to solve their engineering challenges.
Read more about the PPP-Innovation Scheme at the Holland High Tech website