Overview
This training course provides a practical understanding of software development within the IEC 61508 functional safety framework. It focuses on how software contributes to system-level safety through structured lifecycle processes, including requirements development, architecture, implementation, and verification.
IEC 61508 defines the foundation for functional safety across electrical, electronic, and programmable systems, including the use of Safety Integrity Levels (SIL) to guide development rigor. As systems become increasingly software-driven, managing systematic software failures through disciplined processes and validation approaches becomes critical.
This course introduces how software safety requirements are derived, how architectures are designed to meet safety objectives, and how verification and validation activities are applied in practice. Participants will gain a system-level perspective on applying IEC 61508 principles within modern robotics and real-world deployment environments.
Intended Audience
This course is designed for engineers and technical professionals involved in the development of safety-related software for robotics and physical AI systems operating in real-world environments. It is particularly relevant for:
- Software engineers developing autonomy, perception, or control systems for robotic platforms, including mobile robots, humanoid systems, and manipulation systems
- Systems and robotics engineers working on integrating software within complex, real-world robotic systems that interact with dynamic environments
- Functional safety engineers responsible for applying safety lifecycle principles to software within robotics and AI-enabled systems
- Engineering leads and technical managers overseeing development of safety-critical robotic systems deployed in commercial, industrial, or public-facing environments
Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the role of software within the IEC 61508 safety lifecycle and how Safety Integrity Levels (SIL) influence development rigor
- Understand how software safety requirements are derived from system-level requirements and maintained through traceability
- Recognize key architectural and design principles for developing safety-related software in robotics and AI-enabled systems
- Identify common sources of systematic software failure and how they are addressed through process, design, and verification
- Understand practical approaches to verification and validation of safety-critical software, including module, integration, and system-level testing
- Apply IEC 61508 software principles within modern robotics and physical AI development environments
Agenda
Below you will find a tentative schedule for this training course.
- Introduction to IEC 61508 and Functional Safety
- Software Safety Lifecycle
- Role within the overall safety lifecycle
- Relationship to system and hardware safety requirements
- Software Safety Requirements
- Derivation from system-level requirements
- Specification, traceability, and key attributes
- Software Architecture and Design
- Architectural principles for safety-related software
- System and module-level design considerations
- Software Development and Implementation
- Coding standards and best practices (e.g., MISRA)
- Development environments and tool considerations
- Verification and Validation
- Software module and integration testing
- Validation planning and execution
- Supporting Processes and Advanced Topics
- Configuration management and software modification
- Tool qualification and support tools
