Using online drafts of a
new textbook written by the instructor, as well as her earlier published book
Safeware, students will explore state-of-the-art approaches to building safety-critical systems. These approaches are more effective in systems comprising digital components than traditional, redundancy based techniques. All students will apply what they learn to a project involving the Disney Matterhorn ride. In addition, graduate students will gain practical experience by writing their own research grant proposals.
Covers important concepts and techniques in designing and operating safety-critical systems. Topics include: the nature of risk, formal accident and human error models, causes of accidents, fundamental concepts of system safety engineering, system and software hazard analysis, designing for safety, fault tolerance, safety issues in the design of human-machine interaction, verification of safety, creating a safety culture, and management of safety-critical projects. Includes a class project involving the high-level system design and analysis of a safety-critical system.