Drawing on his experience assessing safety-critical platforms used in autonomous vehicles and robotics, Thomas observes that many organizations involved in autonomy operate with differing interpretations of functional safety. Modern autonomous systems are composed of independently developed components, including perception algorithms, neural networks, high-performance computing, vehicle control systems, and continuous deployment pipelines. As systems change through software updates and machine learning optimization, safety assumptions must be reviewed and documented to prevent gaps in accountability. According to his analysis, failures in autonomous systems are more likely to emerge at the boundaries between teams, tools, and assumptions than within individual components themselves. By emphasizing unified and continuously maintained safety frameworks, he encourages the industry to approach functional safety as an ongoing, system-wide responsibility that evolves alongside autonomous technology.

Source: The Herald January 03, 2026 06:04 UTC