Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
Introduction
Abstract
The primary goal of this topic is to advance the use of formal techniques
for the development of computing systems with high integrity. Specifically, the
topic makes an analysis of critical system software that the formal methods are not
well integrated into established critical systems development processes. This topic
presents formalism for a new development life-cycle, and a set of associated tech-
niques and tools to develop the highly critical systems using formal techniques from
requirements analysis to automatic source code generation using several intermedi-
ate layers with rigorous safety assessment approach. The approach has been verified
using the Event-B formalism. The efficacy of formalism has been evaluated through
a “Grand Challenge” case study, relative to the development of a cardiac pacemaker.
In this chapter, we present the motivation of this work and main concepts of our
proposed approach for developing a new methodology for system development, and
associated techniques and tools.
1.1 Motivation
Nowadays, software systems have penetrated into our daily life in many ways.
Information technology is one major area, which provides powerful, and adapt-
able opportunities for innovation. However, sometimes computer-based developed
systems are producing disappointed results and fail to produce the desired re-
sults according to work requirements and stakeholder needs. They are unreliable,
and eventually dangerous. As a cause of system failure, poor developments prac-
tices [
10
,
16
,
32
,
38
,
39
] are one of the most significant. This is due to the complex
nature of modern software and lack of understanding. Software development pro-
vides a framework for simplifying a complex system to get a better understanding
and to develop the higher-fidelity system at a lower cost. Highly embedded crit-
ical systems, such as automotive, medical, and avionic, are susceptible to errors,
which are not sustainable in case of failure. Any failure in these systems may be
two types of consequences:
direct consequences
and
indirect consequences
. Direct
consequences lead to finance, property losses, and personal injuries, while indirect
consequences lead to income lost, medical expenses, time to retain another person,
and decrease employee moral, etc. Additionally, and most significantly potential
loss is customer trust for a product failure. In this context, a high degree of safety
