Prof. Dr. Holger Schlingloff and colleagues at the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Architecture and Software Technology (FIRST) in Berlin (Fraunhofer-Institut für Rechnerarchitektur und Softwaretechnik) is working with Berlin Heart AG, a maker of ventricular assist devices, on developing “a model-based test system to guarantee the functional safety of cardiac support systems.”
“It is impossible to prove that a system is entirely failure-proof by simply running a test – it could be that certain types of fault have been overlooked,” says Rolf Hänisch, project manager at the Fraunhofer FIRST. “We can eliminate this shortcoming by producing systematized tests based on models, in which we record and simulate all relevant test scenarios.”
There are two approaches to modeling this type of system. The first takes its point of departure in the intended application, asking “how will the device be operated in clinical practice?” and “how does the software interpret the physician’s instructions?”, for example. The second approach starts by looking at the software’s source code, for instance “which part of the code is responsible for which functions?”. Since even experts can inadvertently skip a line when reading code, the team has developed an automated program to help them locate safety-critical sections. The new technology will be presented to trade fair visitors at embedded world in Nuremberg from February 26 to 28 (Hall 12, Stand 12-138) and at CeBIT in Hanover from March 4 to 9…
Flashbacks: Berlin Heart EXCOR ; German-made Heart Pump for Children Needing Heart Transplants
Press release: Relief for diseased hearts …
