Should we “safely” handle the uncertainties at runtime? - A rather seldom asked question

Abstract

Ipso facto “Uncertainty is certain” makes design and development of Cyber Physical Systems (CPS), specifically for safety critical scenarios, a challenging process. CPS are expected to function safely in unforeseen contexts, which are often characterized by the pervasive presence of uncertainty. There is a multitude of research and numerous approaches available for efficiently handling such uncertainties at runtime, but how many of them handle it from the viewpoint of safety assurance? Are the approaches which handle various possible uncertainties at runtime from safety assurance perspective need of the hour? This paper attempts to explore these issues and offers a rarely chosen but important perspective on handling uncertainties at runtime during the development of CPS. This paper is based on initial outcomes of an ongoing Systematic Literature Review (SLR) and consequent research on ”safe” handling of uncertainties at runtime.