Embedded systems are for example used in aircraft, trains or industrial robots. As they are designed to ensure machine safety, the entire hardware has to be checked regularly, costing a lot of time and money. A research team from Kaiserslautern has developed a model that can analyze the effects of hardware errors on the software. It turned out that most of the errors did not affect the programs.

It thus suffices "to focus on specific areas where errors are important for the software," says Christian Bartsch, first author of the study. Troubleshooting becomes less complicated and thus faster and cheaper. The method even makes it possible to certify protection mechanisms for certain hardware errors. Companies could then analyze whether their security arrangements are sufficient for the potential problems. The study paper was distinguished with an award in Arizona.