WP1
Verified Design & Modelling for Adaptive Robotics (University of York & Partners)
Challenge
Robotic systems that use AI are hard to verify for safety, especially when they adapt during operation. Existing methods could only verify individual components – not the full system – leaving AI behaviour as a “black box”.
Our Tools
- Extended RoboArch and RoboChart for modelling self-adaptive behaviour.
- Uncertainty quantification for deep learning models.
- Automated model checking and theorem proving using IsaCircus.
- Test generation for runtime verification.
- Early use of Large Language Models to identify uncertainties.
How it fits
WP1 provides the foundations that ensure RoboSAPIENS tools remain safe by design, verifying AI and robotic behaviour across the entire
MAPLE-K loop and feeding results into WP2, WP3, WP5, and use cases.
Progress so far
- New RoboArch patterns applied to DTI’s laptop refurbishment case.
- Automatic proofs of key safety properties (e.g., deadlock freedom).
- Successful evaluation of LLM-based uncertainty detection on 4 industry-scale cases.
- Test generation for runtime verification.
- Publications and open verification techniques released.
Impact & What’s Next
These methods enable rigorous, automated safety assurance for AI-enabled robots.
Next: broader automation of verification and rollout to additional RoboSAPIENS use cases and industrial users.
Technology, Tools & Architecture
RoboSAPIENS delivers the core technologies needed to make robots truly self-adaptive – reacting to change without sacrificing safety, trustworthiness, or performance.
Our research partners provide a complete ecosystem of tools that work together across the robot’s lifecycle:
WP1 ensures adaptation is correct by design through modelling and verification.
WP2 gives robots awareness – detecting uncertainty and anomalies.
WP3 keeps operations trustworthy in real time.
WP5 turns innovation into deployable robotic systems.
Together, these technologies enable robots that don’t just follow instructions – they think, assess, adapt, and stay safe.
From industrial assembly to maritime navigation, RoboSAPIENS is making autonomy more robust, scalable and human-centred.