BARRON ASSOCIATES, INC. — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: Barron Associates has assembled a team of researchers that include Dr. Sayan Mitra of the

Description

Barron Associates has assembled a team of researchers that include Dr. Sayan Mitra of the University of Illinois and Dr. Ufuk Topcu of the University of Pennsylvania. They will spearhead three complimentary investigations into the development of verification and validation (V & V) approaches for adaptive systems protected by run time assurance (RTA) mechanisms. Two of these approaches involve using proof construction formalisms combined with guided simulation analyses to quickly determine unsafe or near-unsafe operating conditions. The third investigation will develop safety conditions that can be expressed in terms of linear temporal logic (LTL) specifications for a particularly important class of RTA systems involving multiple reversionary mode sequences so that the advanced system"s operating envelope is not limited. We will focus on two key areas in the V & V development: (a) the"switching condition"or the boundary between the safe and unsafe operating regions, and (b) the amount of"look ahead"time required to safely perform the process of switching to the reversionary system. Barron Associates will spearhead the application of the developed technologies to a challenge problem involving a fleet of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs) with an RTA system protecting the fleet by determining when to activate certified collision avoidance protocols.