ASTIR · AI-Augmented Software Engineering for Intelligent Robotics

In today's Europe, software is pivotal for societal progress, deeply ingrained in our lives, and essential for the EU's competitiveness. The European Commission's Digital Strategy positions software at the heart of digital transformation, targeting a sustainable economy and broad digital tech benefits. This era underlines software engineering's crucial role in creating functional, reliable, and efficient software systems. The advent of AI, especially in robotics, poses new challenges, demanding a rethink of traditional software engineering.The engineering of robotics faces ongoing issues such as complex operational states, environmental unpredictabilities, and critical safety needs. These are amplified by the diversity in robots, use cases, AI technologies, and development settings, calling for a significant evolution in robotics software engineering. The rise of intelligent robots, with their ability to learn, adapt, and make independent decisions, highlights the need for improved engineering tools and methods.ASTIR aims to address these challenges by developing an AI-augmented engineering workbench for intelligent robotics software, supporting all lifecycle phases from requirements engineering to system maintenance. This workbench, leveraging trustworthy generative AI, aims to integrate with current engineering practices, enhancing collaboration and productivity.ASTIR will validate the technological offering in 3 novel and open-access use cases targeting diverse robotics markets, namely service robotics, manufacturing robotics, and drones.