ViSpec: A graphical tool for elicitation of MTL requirements
This addresses the problem of specification elicitation for system developers in safety-critical robotics, though it is incremental as it builds on existing graphical formalisms.
The authors tackled the difficulty of creating formal specifications for safety-critical robotic systems by developing ViSpec, a graphical tool that allows users without formal logic training to define requirements, which are then automatically translated to Metric Temporal Logic. They conducted a usability study showing that both academic and industry users could define formal requirements with high accuracy.
One of the main barriers preventing widespread use of formal methods is the elicitation of formal specifications. Formal specifications facilitate the testing and verification process for safety critical robotic systems. However, handling the intricacies of formal languages is difficult and requires a high level of expertise in formal logics that many system developers do not have. In this work, we present a graphical tool designed for the development and visualization of formal specifications by people that do not have training in formal logic. The tool enables users to develop specifications using a graphical formalism which is then automatically translated to Metric Temporal Logic (MTL). In order to evaluate the effectiveness of our tool, we have also designed and conducted a usability study with cohorts from the academic student community and industry. Our results indicate that both groups were able to define formal requirements with high levels of accuracy. Finally, we present applications of our tool for defining specifications for operation of robotic surgery and autonomous quadcopter safe operation.