Assuring Behavior of Multirobot Autonomous Systems With Translation From Formal Verification to ROS Simulation

Abstract

Formal verification provides assurance to the modeling and design of robotic applications in executing autonomous operations. With the advancement of technologies, robotic applications have evolved to integrate multiple distributed robots. As a result, the integration of formal verification-based methods to assure the correctness of the interactions between multiple distributed robots has become ever more important. However, going from formally verified models designed in formal environments/software such as UPPAAL to robotic simulation software such as robot operating system (ROS) and Gazebo is time-consuming and prone to human errors. Nonetheless, such a translation from formal to simulation environment is essential for robotic applications that are going to be deployed in the real world, for obvious economical and safety reasons. In this article, we provide our insights into the development of a framework that integrates design and formal verification at a higher level of abstraction and then performing a translation to ROS, focusing on a scenario for distributed drones representing urban air mobility. Through this article, we seek to accelerate the development cycle in transitioning from formally verified systems to simulation.