Exploring formal methods for provably safe autonomous cyber-physical systems
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Authors
Le, Dylan
Issue Date
2025-05
Type
Electronic thesis
Thesis
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Computer science
Alternative Title
Abstract
The increasing complexity of autonomous cyber-physical systems (CPS) necessitates rigorous verification techniques to ensure safety and reliability. Safety-critical systems, such as those in aerospace, automotive, and medical domains, operate under strict constraints where failures can have catastrophic consequences. Modelling autonomous CPS as a hybrid system allows for verification of safety properties. Current verification methods, including model checking and Satisfiability Modulo Theories (SMT) solvers, face scalability challenges when dealing with large state spaces and complex non-linear dynamics. This thesis investigates theorem proving as a means to provide more scalable and explainable safety guarantees for cyber-physical systems. As a case study, we analyze the Mountain Car problem. We develop a discrete and continuous model for the dynamics. In this thesis we provide a formal proof using theorem proving and physical properties that shows that a simple controllerfor Mountain Car, under specific conjectures, ensures it reaches the goal position from any valid initial condition and without
a finite time bound for verification. The findings of this thesis highlight the potential for theorem proving to enhance the explainability and scalability of safety verification in autonomous cyber-physical systems.
Description
May2025
School of Science
School of Science
Full Citation
Publisher
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY