Waarom jij voorlopig de boete krijgt in een zelfrijdende auto
Waarom jij voorlopig de boete krijgt in een zelfrijdende auto

NWO-M subsidy for research on control mechanism of autonomous systems

Sebastian Junges, a researcher at the Institute for Computing Science, has been awarded an NWO-M subsidy of 360,000 euros for his research project FuRoRe. In this project, Junges tackles a crucial challenge in the field of autonomous systems: improving the control mechanism of autonomous systems, specifically runtime monitors, in uncertain situations.

Runtime monitors

Computer systems are becoming increasingly intelligent. An essential aspect of a reliable and smart computer system is that it knows its own limits and alerts the user when the system is not being used correctly. An example of this is dashboard lights that warn a car driver.

In the FuRoRe project, Junges investigates so-called runtime monitors, the algorithms behind warning mechanisms (the dashboard lights) for various systems. The challenge in designing such algorithms is to take into account the different uncertainties. Sebastian Junges explains that the difficulty lies in the fact that the sensors in many autonomous systems are not flawless. "Consider the camera of your car's parking assistant wrongly detecting obstacles when it's raining. But you also don't want the parking assistant to beep constantly. How do we then create a reliable algorithm that determines when a beep is necessary? Our theoretical knowledge in this area is lacking. In the FuRoRe project, we aim to fill the gaps in our knowledge and develop efficient and understandable algorithms."

Read more about the project FuRoRe

About NWO-M-subsidies

M-subsidies are intended for innovative, high-quality fundamental research and/or research with scientific urgency. In this round, the board of the NWO domain Exact and Natural Sciences has approved sixteen applications.