Foundations of Autonomous Systems: Modeling and Safety Verification

Building autonomous systems that operate safely in the real world requires rigorous design and verification. This course introduces you to the essential concepts of modeling, specifying, and verifying autonomous systems with mathematical safety guarantees. You will learn to transition from basic system definitions to analyzing complex, self-operating behaviors. What you'll learn: 1. Understand foundational terminology and the core architecture of autonomous systems. 2. Model system dynamics using state-space representations and transition models. 3. Specify safety and operational requirements using formal logic. 4. Verify system correctness using fundamental model-checking and validation techniques. 5. Apply modern safety filters, including control barrier functions, to prevent failures. 6. Explore how modern machine learning components are integrated into safety-critical pipelines. This text-based course begins with basic definitions and control concepts before progressing to formal specifications and verification methods. It is designed for beginners in engineering or computer science, requiring no advanced mathematical background. Start reading today to master the fundamentals of safe autonomous design.