SHF:Small: Holistic Analysis: integrating the semantics of the world and the code

University Of Virginia Main Campus, Charlottesville VA

Investigators

Abstract

Systems interacting with the physical world (e.g., robots, embedded systems, cyber-physical systems) depend on the interplay of code and the physical environment. Yet, techniques and tools to support quality assurance efforts on such systems typically decouple code from the physical world to simplify the process. This research effort attempts to unlock the potential of reuniting these separate worlds, integrating the rules of the physical world with the logic of code to improve the quality of the systems we build. The key intellectual challenges of this investigation include: 1) integrating the rules of the physical world into program analysis to help developers identify faults associated with the manipulation of physical units; 2) incorporating physical attributes manifested in code into simulation scenarios so that system designers can better explore the interplay between physical software and potential environments; and 3) inserting spatial reasoning into program analysis to help developers understand and verify how a system may translate and rotate in space over time. These efforts impact research communities by generating artifacts and tools currently lacking at the intersection of the software engineering and robotic communities, preparing several graduate students including those from underrepresented groups, and developing case studies on the faults and failures present in such systems to assist instructors, students, and practitioners to cultivate an informed perspective about the unique challenges these systems bring. The longer, broader aim is to improve the quality of these systems that increasingly affect all aspects of society.