Expert answer:IT ethics report
Answer & Explanation:write a 100-200 words discussion and that’s it.case: deathbywire.docx my report: death_by_wirereport.docx discussion: student1:The article was a nice read on these by-wire systems for various vehicles, but I wished it had elaborated more on the specifics of how these systems work, as well as the problems and deaths that have arisen because of malfunctions or other problems with the systems. To me it seems this is a less extreme version of self-driving cars we see on the news often these days. I like the idea of these by-wire systems to slightly control only certain aspects of driving or flying of commercial and private use vehicles, but the article was vague and does not give much information as to how it all works. I assume it’s like the cars we hear about that can park themselves or brake when you’re too close to a vehicle in front of you. What have you all taken from the article? student2:I agree that I didn’t really walk away with that much of an understanding of the systems, except that they augment certain safety features. I think that this was kind of silly, personally, because the author assumed two very questionable things. For one, he/she used the TTA as proof that mechanical backups would become nonexistent, even though its difficult to imagine why there could be no mechanical backups for computerized systems as there are multiple reasons any electronic system could fail. Also, I kept thinking through the entire article that people are pretty good at causing accidents because of things like poor judgmenet, distracted driving, drunk driving, etc…. a computerized system can’t suffer from so many of the human ills that cause accidents. It seems that the few errors that may cause injury or loss of life would be outwighed byt the accidents that can be avoided by counteracting their bad behavior. I think it is necessary to ensure that there are mechanical backups, to standardize the requirements for these systems and backups in order to establish safety and to give a framework for assessing liabilities when these failures do happen. But to simply exclude the idea because something can go wrong is inane to me. A defibrulator or life support machine can fail, causing injury or loss of life, but they save many more lives than they take, so we keep them around but have very clear rules on when and how to use them. Why should these systems be any different?
deathbywire.docx
death_by_wirereport.docx
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Death-By-Wire
The airline industry has been using fly-by-wire systems for many years with a good deal of success.
This success, however; has not come without its significant cost, including its deaths. More recently, there
has been a move toward converting land-based vehicles – cars, trucks, and commercial vehicles – to
drive-by-wire systems. “ByWire,” as a general definition, is removing existing, mechanically controlled
functions and replacing those functions with software controlled sensors that react to the environment and
commands interpreted from driver input. In the case of drive-by-wire, its impending and actual use is the
result of two factors. The first factor being the increase in vehicle emissions standards, and the second being
the decreased costs of an electronically based system. As we move toward a more technology-based world,
we defer more and more control to electronic systems that control basic and safety critical aspects of our lives.
They can be used in a multitude of places on a car, from electronic sensors in the acceleration peddle, to
braking sensors/motors, to electronic steering controls, and much more.
Pros and Cons
The advantages of the drive-by-wire are many. As demonstrated by our military/commercial aircrafts,
flyby-wire technology has been used to increase the handling of aircraft and effectively allowed us to place
craft into flight that would not have left the ground without fly-by-wire technologies. These same concepts
are now being applied to drive-by-wire systems. The steering controls of current automobiles have been
“tried and proven true” over the years, however; a by-wire system could dramatically increase the steering
abilities of people in a critical situation even before they believe they needed it. This would allow the person
driving the vehicle to concentrate more on the strategies involved in driving, rather than the nuances of it.
The primary difficulty with this new and complex help is quite simple, “… a drive-by-wire system is
only as good as the programmers and manufacturers who design it.”[1] When a drive-by-wire system is being
implemented there are many unique testing and engineering considerations. Even after you have answered
basic questions such as: Do you remove all safety interlocks? Can one make a safety critical system robust
when the software engineers do not plan for or forget to plan for an unknown situation? There are the
significant questions about when to take control from the human being and how much control to take.
Another difficulty with using software is that the software could fail, no matter how many times it’s
tested. What we have to worry about is the degree of impact of this failure. It’s well and good to say that all
technologies fail and this one is bound to too, but the point becomes how much will the failure of a this
system cost us in lives and injury. We already have a technology that has been tested and found reliable, and
to push forward into this unknown area, knowing that it will cost lives and/or injury to others, could be a price
the world is not willing to make for it’s comforts. Some would suggest that consumers know about the
problems complex software can create. However, the problem is that most people do not know the cost of
software controlled systems and it is up to those who create the software to make the systems safe. Some
automotive companies are planning to release their complete drive-by-wire systems as early as 2005. Partial
drive by wire systems will be released to the public as early as next year (2003). These early models will have
a safety back up system that is still mechanical, however; the removal of all mechanical safety backups is
inevitable.
As proof of this consider the fact that the concept of a Time Triggered Architecture (TTA is being
employed; a system that is fault tolerant without mechanical backups,. The following excerpt describes what
a time triggered architecture is:
The fulfillment of this tough requirement together with cost-effectiveness and the “keep it simple as
possible” safety principle consequently leads to a time-triggered architecture. Time-triggered means that
actions concerning input sampling, computing and provision of results are executed at predefined points in
time. An exact time schedule is then always guaranteed, the needed system bandwidth is limited at any point
of time, and a system overload is impossible[2]
The only problem with this TTA is that it must be error free. There is no place for errors and calculations take
valuable time away from a system performance that could mean the difference between life and death.
Currently there is no standardized time triggered protocol.
Hypothetical Case
Roddenberry trucking company has been using the newest Frightliner line of trucks that incorporates a
drive-by-wire system that controls the braking, steering, and transmission shifting of the commercial vehicle.
At Christmas time, Roddenberry trucking receives a large order that is to be shipped immediately.
Roddenberry trucking estimates that the shipment will take 2 3/8ths truckloads to ship. At present, they only
have two trucks available for the shipment, but they have to send the entire shipment to keep their contract. In
previous years, using standard trucks without the drive-by-wire systems, the trucks were simply overloaded.
Each truck would essentially carry a load and a half to complete the shipment.
When Frightliner trucks, INC. developed the by-wire system for the brakes, they placed weight sensors
to calculate the amount of cargo present at any given time. As a legislated standard, no frightliner or other
commercial vehicle could exceed an 80,000 lb. gross weight limit. The braking system used the measurement
from the weight and speed sensors to calculate the maximum force needed to apply proper braking pressures
to slow the vehicle without overheating the brakes.
En route, the two Frightliners proceed together to reach their destination. As they reach their destination
in San Francisco, which is on a very steep hill, the calculations that execute when the driver applies brake
pressure, encounter an error. The developers of the software read the requirements as 80,000 lb. gross weight
at any time, not taking into account the truck could be overloaded. The weight sensor reads an overweight
variable into the calculation. Due to a mathematical truncation error in the braking calculation, the system
applies less braking power than required for the current weight load. The brakes engage, but with less force
for a long period of time causing the brakes to overheat. Between the calculation error and the overheating of
the brakes, there is no means of stopping the vehicles. With the failure of the brakes, the trucks move into
town where they impact with the waiting vehicles at the next traffic light. Despite the fact that the trucks were
overloaded and the primary failure was caused by the weight, are there any other persons that should be held
liable for the crash?
Running Head: DEATH BY WIRE
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Death by Wire
Institution Affiliation
Date:
DEATH BY WIRE
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Problem Statement
The technological advancement is bringing about more new ways of doing things. It is breaking the normal
ways that have been around for years giving human being new and more advanced technologies that are proven to
be of great help now and in the future. However technology is resultant to have both the pros and cons which define
its appropriateness and benefit to human beings. On this note, the paper discusses a case of technology and its effect
in the world. This case is known as Death-By-Wire which describes a modern drive by wire technology for
automobile that most of the car manufacturing plants are now formalizing. The technology discussed is delivered
from the form of technology in the aircraft. This case shows the failure of the technology to provide the necessary
caution and lead to a catastrophic crash of a truck.
Critical Facts
The technology is one of the breakthroughs that are projected to bring a full transformation of the motoring
industry. It will ease the current mechanical form of the industry to more of software driven industry. The
development of the drive by wire will improve the mode of transport. In one of the issues highlighted in the case is
where an overloaded truck using the modernized system failed due to engineering and overloading problems.
Other facts include that the company had not followed the law correctly in that they overloaded the truck
that led to a fatal crash. It is clear in the case that the software engineers did not have major role in failure. The other
fact on this is that there was an error with the drive by wire software system being used in the system. The engineers
have somehow overlooked some professional practices that would rather have helped to protect failure. There were
issues to do with the detection of errors together with correcting and reporting them. These are some of the major
factors that marred the case.
Stake Holders
The interested parties in this case include the drivers who are at the risk of having being involved in
accidents whenever such system fails. The trucking companies also feature greatly among the top stakeholders in
this form of technology. Further to these there are also others such as the engineers who build the drive by wire
software aimed at changing the face of the transport industry. The others are the owners of goods being shipped. The
DEATH BY WIRE
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other stakeholders in this case are the government and the regulators who give controls over the development of
every item and services in the society.
Stake Holder Interests
The main interest of every stakeholder is to see the process or the institution of their interest succeed. In
this case, the drivers are interested of the assurance of their safety. The trucking companies do not want their trucks
and other vehicles to be involved in accidents while on the same not the government want to ensure the safety of the
society as it is its mandate. Lastly the engineers of the software want to see their innovation work and improve the
living of every person.
Analysis and conclusion
It is necessary to note that the engineers need to test software and the programing tools to ensure they are
safe. The case highlights that this was not the case and there were errors that were never uncovered and thus the
error occurred. It also seems the trucking companies do at some time fail to follow the right rules and regulations on
loading and even at a point ignore them. The two never took seriously of the safety but the engineers bare the
biggest responsibility though it is not good to rule out that the trucking company took part in the failure.
Recommendation
The engineers should understand the specification and what is required of any released software. The
specifications should follow the law and they need to ensure that the processes are tested before the release. It is
good also to give guidelines to the interested parties in the case to ensure that they take caution
(electronicdesign.com). Considerations and preparation on the safety should be core to every software system in this
development to ensure that there are no small mistakes that may cause problems.
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Reference
http://electronicdesign.com/embedded/automotive-electronics-death-wire-or-digital-saviour. Retrieved on November
17, 2015
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