Cover Image
QR Code

Are You Sure Your Software Will Not Kill Anyone? Using software to control potentially unsafe systems requires the use of new software and system engineering approaches.

The article explores computers and their use in the control of safety-critical systems. The author notes that, with few exceptions, software was not directly controlling safety-critical systems until approximately 1980. A diagram is provided of a cyber-human-physical control loop and accidents invol...

Full description

Published in:Communications of the ACM Vol. 63; no. 2; pp. 25 - 29
Main Author: Leveson, Nancy
Format: Article
Published: Association for Computing Machinery Feb2020
Subjects:
Computer science
Computer monitor safety measures
Aeronautical safety measures
Industrial safety
Systems engineering
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Summary:The article explores computers and their use in the control of safety-critical systems. The author notes that, with few exceptions, software was not directly controlling safety-critical systems until approximately 1980. A diagram is provided of a cyber-human-physical control loop and accidents involving computers, including those involving aircrafts, are described.