Trustworthy self-integrating systems

Abstract

Patients in intensive care often have a dozen or more medical devices and sensors attached to them. Each is a self-contained system that operates in ignorance of the others, and their integrated operation as a system of systems that delivers coherent therapy is performed by doctors and nurses. But we can easily imagine a scenario where the devices recognize each other and self-integrate (perhaps under the guidance of a master "therapy app") into a unified system. Similar scenarios can be (and are) envisaged for vehicles and roads, and for the devices and services in a home. These self-integrating systems have the potential for significant harm as well as benefit, so as they integrate they should adapt and configure themselves appropriately and should construct an "assurance case" for the utility and safety of the resulting system. Thus, trustworthy self-integration requires autonomous adaptation, synthesis, and verification at integration time, and this means that embedded automated deduction (i.e., theorem provers) will be the engine of integration.