Challenges in testing of cyclic systems

The state of practice in design and verification of control software for robotics is code centric. The RoboStar framework supports a model-based approach, providing support for modelling and simulation, and techniques for automatic generation of artefacts. Existing results support test generation using a reactive design model; in RoboStar such models can be described using a diagrammatic notation called RoboChart. Here, we describe the challenges involved in using such tests for execution against simulations or cyclic implementations either automatically generated or custom developed. While it is possible to use a cyclic model to generate tests in the first place, reactive models are akin to those normally used by the community. Moreover, by linking design-based tests to the tests executed against the cyclic mechanisms, we support traceability.