Ensuring Safe Control of Automated/Autonomous Ground Vehicles

Automated, telerobotic, and autonomous off road vehicles present unique safety concerns for their users, both military and civilian, due to their complexity and their extensive use of open source software. This is particularly true when personnel are intermingled with vehicles as is common during many operations. This paper presents a unique approach to providing true functional safety while permitting the developers of the automated/telerobotic/autonomous hardware and software to rapidly implement changes and improvements.