UnCoVerCPS · Project

Safety-Verified Software for Self-Driving Cars, Cobots, and Smart Grids

digitalTestedTRL 4

Imagine a self-driving car that checks every lane change is safe before it actually steers — like a co-pilot who can do the math in milliseconds. That's what this project built: tools that let machines verify their own actions on the fly, even in situations nobody programmed them for. It works for anything where computers control physical things — factory robots working next to people, cars in traffic, or power grids balancing supply and demand. The key breakthrough is combining two things engineers used to do separately: designing the controller and proving it won't do anything dangerous.

By the numbers

consortium partners

countries involved (DE, ES, FR, IT, UK)

industrial partners in consortium

project deliverables produced

application domains demonstrated (vehicles, manufacturing, smart grids)

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies building autonomous vehicles, collaborative robots, or smart grids face a brutal certification challenge: proving their software is safe in every possible situation, including ones nobody anticipated. Traditional testing can't cover every scenario, and manual verification is slow, expensive, and error-prone. This gap between what systems need to handle and what developers can prove safe is the single biggest bottleneck holding back deployment of critical autonomous systems.

The solution

What was built

The project built an integrated tool chain combining SCADE and Simplorer (for modelling and certified code generation), SpaceEx and CORA (for formal verification via reachability analysis), and methods for on-the-fly controller synthesis and verification. This was demonstrated across automated vehicles, human-robot collaborative manufacturing, and smart grids, with 22 deliverables produced in total.

Audience

Who needs this

Automotive OEMs and tier-1 suppliers developing ADAS and autonomous driving systemsIndustrial robot manufacturers building collaborative robots for human-occupied workspacesEnergy management system providers developing smart grid controllersSafety certification consultancies serving automotive, aerospace, or industrial clientsSystem integrators deploying autonomous systems in safety-critical environments

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Automotive & Autonomous Vehicles

enterprise

Target: Automotive OEMs and tier-1 suppliers developing autonomous driving features

If you are an automotive company developing self-driving features and struggling to prove your software is safe enough for certification — this project developed a tool chain that verifies each driving action (like a lane change) before execution, guaranteeing passenger safety. The consortium of 10 partners across 5 countries demonstrated this specifically on automated vehicles. This could cut your safety certification timeline by letting you generate formal safety proofs automatically.

Industrial Robotics & Manufacturing

mid-size

Target: Manufacturers deploying collaborative robots on production lines

If you are a manufacturer introducing cobots that work alongside human operators and need to guarantee worker safety — this project built verification methods specifically for human-robot collaborative manufacturing. The tool chain includes certified code generation via SCADE and reachability analysis via SpaceEx and CORA, letting you formally prove that your robot will never enter an unsafe state. With 3 industrial partners involved in development, the tools were designed with real factory floors in mind.

Energy & Utilities

enterprise

Target: Grid operators and energy management system providers

If you are a grid operator managing increasingly complex smart grids with renewables and distributed generation — this project developed methods to verify grid control systems handle unexpected situations safely. The on-the-fly verification approach means your control software can adapt to unanticipated grid conditions while maintaining formal safety guarantees. The 22 deliverables produced include tools that integrate modelling, control design, verification, and code generation into one pipeline.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt this technology?

The project produced an integrated tool chain built on both commercial tools (SCADE, Simplorer from Esterel Technologies) and research tools (SpaceEx, CORA). Licensing costs would depend on which components you need — the commercial tools already have established pricing. Contact the coordinator at TU München to discuss licensing terms for the research-developed components.

Can this scale to industrial production environments?

The tool chain was demonstrated across 3 application domains: automated vehicles, human-robot collaborative manufacturing, and smart grids. With 3 industrial partners in the 10-partner consortium, the methods were designed for real-world systems. However, as a Research and Innovation Action, scaling to full production would likely require additional engineering and integration work.

What is the IP situation and who owns the results?

The consortium of 10 partners across 5 countries (DE, ES, FR, IT, UK) jointly developed the results. Key IP likely sits with TU München (coordinator, developed CORA) and Esterel Technologies (SCADE, Simplorer are their commercial products). SpaceEx was developed at Université Joseph Fourier Grenoble. Licensing arrangements would need to be negotiated with the relevant IP holders.

Does this meet automotive or industrial safety regulations?

The project explicitly targets safety certification for critical cyber-physical systems. SCADE is already used for certified code generation in safety-critical industries. The formal verification methods provide the mathematical proofs that regulators require, preparing the path for certification of open cyber-physical systems operating in unknown environments.

How mature is this technology — is it ready to deploy?

The project ran from 2015 to 2019 and produced 22 deliverables including a working tool chain. The tools for reachability analysis (SpaceEx, CORA) and certified code generation (SCADE) are functional. Based on available project data, this is at the tested-demonstration stage — proven in lab and controlled scenarios, but not yet a turnkey commercial product.

How hard is it to integrate with our existing development tools?

The UnCoVerCPS tool chain was designed to connect modelling, control design, verification, and code generation into one workflow. SCADE and Simplorer are established commercial tools already used in industry. The research tools (SpaceEx, CORA) plug into this chain for verification. Integration effort depends on your current toolset but the architecture was built for interoperability.

Consortium

Who built it

The UnCoVerCPS consortium brings together 10 partners from 5 countries (Germany, Spain, France, Italy, UK), with a 30% industry ratio — 3 industrial partners alongside 4 universities and 3 research organizations. The project is coordinated by TU München, one of Europe's top technical universities. The presence of Esterel Technologies (now part of ANSYS) as an industrial partner is significant — they make SCADE, which is already the industry standard for certified code generation in aerospace and automotive. Having 1 SME in the mix adds agility. For a business looking to adopt these results, the mix of academic rigour and industrial grounding means the tools were built with real deployment constraints in mind, not just theoretical elegance.

TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHENCoordinator · DE
ROBERT BOSCH GMBHparticipant · DE
FUNDACION TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATIONparticipant · ES
DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUR LUFT - UND RAUMFAHRT EVparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITE GRENOBLE ALPESparticipant · FR
UNIVERSITAET KASSELparticipant · DE
R.U.Robots Limitedparticipant · UK
POLITECNICO DI MILANOparticipant · IT
CENTRE NATIONAL DE LA RECHERCHE SCIENTIFIQUE CNRSthirdparty · FR

How to reach the team

Reach the coordinator at Technische Universität München, Germany — SciTransfer can facilitate an introduction

Order a report on this consortium See TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how verified cyber-physical system tools could accelerate your safety certification? SciTransfer can connect you directly with the UnCoVerCPS team and help evaluate fit for your use case.

Order a report on this topic More in Digital & ICT