Air Force Research Laboratory Test and Evaluation, Verification and Validation of Autonomous Systems Challenge Exploration

Verification and Validation techniques will need to be adapted to address the unique challenges of developing autonomous systems. Looking towards the future, the question must be asked, how do we supplement traditional test and evaluation methods? In addition to new technology, what T&E workforce education requirements need to be addressed? As highly autonomous systems become more of a reality, trust in the system operation will transfer from the human operator to highly complex software and systems. Quantifying that trust and then providing a certification argument is a daunting task and an enabling technology for the transition of the next generation of autonomous systems. This report documents the year long study to identify, understand and categorize the unique challenges to the certification of safety critical autonomous systems by identifying the Verification and Validation (V&V) approaches needed to overcome them. The desired end state is to have a document categorizing the challenges into 3-6 thrust areas with a semi-detailed list of complementary approaches to address each challenge. The outcome of this study supports the AFRL Autonomy S&T strategy as well as provides input to the DoD Autonomy TEV&V Portfolio. The original document contains color images.