On the software side, the Halos operating system was designed to allow constant monitoring of “every hardware block” and “every software library” to quickly detect any failures, Goel explained. The system also isolates security-critical computing workloads to prevent potential interference.
The system also includes the Nvidia Holoscan sensor bridge that connects sensor data to security-related computer processing in a way that can easily identify corrupted data. This can be integrated into individual hardware components, such as a microcontroller or a field-programmable gate array.
Last but not least, the Halos package also includes Nvidia simulations for testing robots in virtual environments and an inspection lab program that allows robotics companies and other partners to get quick feedback on any safety “artifacts” that arise during robotic development.
However, adapting Nvidia Halos from autonomous vehicles to robotics required adapting to many different definitions of safety. The definition of functional safety for autonomous driving generally remains the same across different automotive companies and countries, Goel explained. But a robotic vacuum cleaning an aisle will have very different safety considerations compared to a robotic forklift handling heavy loads on a warehouse loading dock.
“We had to reimagine and do a lot of fundamental work to build a platform that is programmable, that gives all the hooks to developers to define custom security functions, but at the same time not break the underlying infrastructure that we built,” Goel told Ars. “Because giving flexibility can come at the cost of losing some control over the stack.”
Custom safety features are also necessary because robots can operate in complex and diverse environments.
“If you’re a robot going down a hallway at six miles an hour, your senses don’t see what the blind spots are or what’s coming around the corner,” Gold said. “What the robots do almost stops before the turn, because they don’t really know what’s happening in all these factories, warehouses and hospitals; they are unstructured environments and things can come from anywhere.”
