DOI: 10.1145/3241979
Metamorphic testing can test untestable
software, detecting fatal errors in autonomous
vehicles’ onboard computer systems.
BY ZHI QUAN ZHOU AND LIQUN SUN
ON MARCH 18, 2018, Elaine Herzberg became the first
pedestrian in the world to be killed by an autonomous
vehicle after being hit by a self-driving Uber SUV in
Tempe, AZ, at about 10 p.m. Video released by the local
police department showed the self-driving Volvo XC90
did not appear to see Herzberg, as it did not slow down
or alter course, even though she was
visible in front of the vehicle prior to
impact. Subsequently, automotive
engineering experts raised questions
about Uber’s LiDAR technology.
12
LiDAR, or “light detection and ranging,”
uses pulsed laser light to enable a self-driving car to see its surroundings hundreds of feet away.
Velodyne, the supplier of the Uber
vehicle’s LiDAR technology, said, “Our
LiDAR is capable of clearly imaging
Elaine and her bicycle in this situation.
However, our LiDAR does not make the
decision to put on the brakes or get
out of her way” ... “We know absolutely
nothing about the engineering of their
[Uber’s] part ... It is a proprietary secret,
and all of our customers keep this part
to themselves”
15 ... and “Our LiDAR can
see perfectly well in the dark, as well as
Metamorphic
Testing
of Driverless
Cars
key insights
˽ Many software systems (such as AI
systems and those that control self-driving vehicles) are difficult to test
using conventional approaches and are
known as “untestable software.”
˽ Metamorphic testing can test untestable
software in a very cost-effective way,
using a perspective not previously used
by conventional approaches.
˽ We detected fatal software faults in
the LiDAR obstacle-perception module
of self-driving cars and reported the
alarming results eight days before Uber’s
deadly crash in Tempe, AZ, in March 2018.