IntroductiontotheAssuringAutonomyInternationalProgrammeProfTimKelly

Agenda

• RoboticsandAutonomousSystems(RAS)• RealisingthebenefitsofRAS• Lloyd’sRegisterFoundationReviewofRAS&Safety• TheInternationalPerspective

• ProgrammeStatus• ProgrammeActivities• Scope,Demonstrators,Core,Ecosystem,Collaboration,Community

• Conclusions

RoboticsandAutonomy

• RAScanundertakemanytaskscost-effectivelyprovidingbenefitstosociety,e.g.• Avoidingboring,repetitiousandslowworkinfactoriesandwarehouses• Supportingsocialcare,enablingindependentliving

• Inthenearfuturetherewillbefullyautonomousorremotelyoperatedsystems,e.g.in:• Driving,reducingaccidentsduetohumanerror• Shipping,removingseafarersfromharmsway

Robotics&AutonomousSystems(RAS)

RoboticsandAutonomyRemotelyOperatedCommercialShip

RoboticsandAutonomyDemonstrations

RoboticsandAutonomy

• Sense,Understand,Decide,Act(SUDA)• Understandinganddecision-makingheavilydependentonArtificialIntelligence(AI)– keytechnicalchallengesincludeassuringAIandsensingcapabilities

ARASmodel:theSUDA“loop”

RealisingRASBenefitsTheFoundation’sReviewofRAS

• PublishedinOctober2016• Identified“whitespaces”inassuranceandregulationofRAS• NecessarytoaddresstheseissuestorealisebenefitsofRAS

• TheYork-ledProgrammeisaresponsetothereview• Astrongfocuson‘demonstrators’andworking‘bottomup’

RealisingRASBenefits

• HowdowegetsufficientvisibilityofwhattheRAS(AI)haslearnttoassuresafety?• Howdowereasonaboutlearninginoperation?• Canreasoningbepre-operation,ormustitbedynamic?

• Howdowedealwithinteractions?• Othersystemsandpeople,includingsocialcognition

• Howdoweassurenormalfunctions?• Asopposedtothetraditionalfocusonfailure

• Whatareappropriatecriteriaforacceptance?

SafetyofRASChallenges

RealisingRASBenefits

• Manyproblemsareglobal• RASneedtooperateinternationally,henceneedaglobalsolution,notoneforeachcountry• Maritimeenvironmentaclearexample

• Providingsolutionsisverychallenging• TheProgrammecannotprovideallthesolutionsitself• Mustdrawonworkbeingundertakenglobally

• Foraccesstosolutions• Forinfluencetogetsolutionsdisseminatedandadopted

InternationalPerspective

Addressingglobalchallengesinassuringthesafety ofroboticsandautonomoussystems

ProgrammeStatus

• ContractfromJanuary2018forfiveyears• £10MfromLloyd’sRegisterFoundation• Circa£2MfromYorkformanagementandleadership

• IntentthatsignificantpartsoftheProgrammeundertakenbyotherorganisations• FirstfiveDemonstratorprojectsagreedandcontractsbeingfinalised• SecondDemonstratorcalljustclosed

• Expandingthescopeofworkthroughassociatedactivities

Contracts

ProgrammeTeam

DrAnaMacIntoshSarahHeathwoodChrysleHudsonDrRichardHawkinsDrChiaraPicardiDrColinPaterson

ProfJohnMcDermidProfTimKelly DrRaduCalinescu DrMarkNicholsonDrIbrahimHabli DrRobAlexander

HelenMonkhouse SaudYonbawi YanJia SeanWhite JohnBragg IoannisStefanakos

ProgrammeActivities

• Fourmainstrandsofwork• Workonassuranceandregulation insupportofdemonstratorprojects(real-worldprototypesorrealdeployments– usecases)• Morefundamentalresearch,e.g.ondynamicriskandassuranceofAIincludingdeeplearning,dynamicsafetycases• Educationandtraining,forprofessionalsinRAS/AIandsafety(intheplanning/recruitmentstage)• SupporttotheinternationalcommunityAllcontributingtoorusingaBodyofKnowledge (BoK)

Scope

CriticalBarrierstoAssurance• Adaptation• Bounding Behaviour• Cross-DomainUsage• Explanations• Handover• Human-RobotInteraction

• IncidentandAccidentInvestigation•Monitoring• RiskAcceptance• RoleofSimulation• SystemsofSystems• TrainingandTestingAI• Validation• Verification

ProgrammeActivities

• AssistiveRoboticsinHealthcare• LedbyBristolRobotics

• CollaboratingConstructionMachinery• IndustrialleadVolvoConstructionEquipment,inSweden

• CollaborativeRoboticsinFlexibleManufacturing• LedbyMachiningCentresEurope,inItaly

• AutonomousMedicationManagementSystems• BasedinDerbyHospitalIntensiveCareUnit

• AutonomousRoadVehicles• LedbyAdelard,involvingvehiclesinJapan

InitialDemonstrators

ProgrammeActivities

• ThedevelopmentoftheBodyofKnowledge(BoK)plussupportfordemonstrators,etc.• Dynamicassurance,notingthatclassicalsafetyprocessescannotaddressoperationallearning• Assuranceofdeepreinforcementlearning,andgeneralisationtoothertechnologies• Workstartingoneducationandtraining• TrainingneedsanalysisforMaster’sleveltraining• Initialfocusonawarenesssessionsforseniorstaff

CoreResearch&EducationandTraining

ProgrammeActivities

• EUProject– Fraunhofer inKaiserslautern,LAASinToulouse,KULeuven,York• Collaborationonsafetyofautonomoussystems,withallstudentshavingsupervisorsfromtwoinstitutions

Ecosystem:EuropeanTrainingNetwork

ProgrammeActivities

• ExampleEarlyStageResearcherPositions:• MovingSafetyCasesfromDesignTimetoRunTime• AssuranceCaseArgumentsforMachineLearning• ModellingfunctionalinsufficienciesinAStechnologies• AchievingSituationCoverageinSimulation• …

Ecosystem:EuropeanTrainingNetwork

ProgrammeActivitiesEcosystem:VerificationofRAS

ProgrammeActivities

• FeasibilitystudywithHarperAdams• Programmewillworkonsafety• Combineharvesterandtractor

• Hopetodefineafull-scaledemonstrator

Ecosystem:AutonomousHarvesting

ProgrammeActivities

• ParticipatedinmeetingwithEPSRCfundedHubsonRoboticsinchallenging/extremeenvironments• RAIN(Nuclear),FAIR-SPAC(Space)E,NCNR(Nuclear)andORCA(Maritime)• Relatedwork,e.g.onresponsibleresearchinnovation• FurtherinformationfromDrLucyMartin• Morelinkstocurrentprojectsencouraged

Collaboration:EPSRCHubs

ProgrammeActivitiesCommunity:FestivalofIdeas

Conclusions

• TheProgrammeisextremelychallenging• Hardtechnicalproblems– ill-structured,manywithnoknownsolutions• Socialaspectsofacceptabilityofrisk

• TheProgrammecannotproducealltheanswers• TheProgrammeneitherhastheresourcesnortheexpertisetodoitalone• Collaborationisessential,andsomepotentialpartnersidentified

• Initialstepspromising,butmuchmoretodo…

ChallengesandCollaboration

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