Testing Autonomous Beasts: With Great Value Comes Great Responsibility

14th December 2023
  • Locked
Irja Straus's profile
Irja Straus

Quality Lead

Testing Autonomous Beasts: With Great Value Comes Great Responsibility image
Talk Description

After more than a decade in software, I entered a completely different world, the world of robotics, where software and hardware work together. To make the challenge even more interesting, the robots I encounter do not have the privilege of working in isolated environments, nor are they easily tamed. These robots are several-ton autonomous beasts doing live operations in warehouses alongside humans. The robots face many daily uncertainties, such as low-light conditions, unexpected movements, objects, and unpredictable human behavior. The consequences of faults in such environments can result in severe damage or even injuries, so the risks are very high. Much higher than in any other industry I worked in in my career.

This indicates that the value of testing the software that powers the robot's autonomy in such a high-risk context is crucial. Testing helps us gather relevant information to understand the shortcomings, bridge the quality gaps, and act promptly to prevent failures. In this talk, I will share how modern exploratory testing brings value to robotics when the stakes are high, and there is no room for some mistakes because they are unrecoverable.

By the end of this session, you'll be able to:

  • How unique challenges and high risks in robotics make software testing even more valuable
  • How modern exploratory testing helps to close the crucial quality gaps in unpredictable environments
Quality Lead
I am an experienced professional skilled in testing (or "QA" if you prefer), quality engineering, business analysis, and product management with 15 years in the industry. Nowadays I am helping companies as a contractor and consultant. I am curious to learn about the company's human, business, and technical aspects. I deliver results and help teams deliver by enabling stakeholder collaboration and driving shifts that most impact product and process quality. I am open to changes, difficult conversations, and problem-solving, and I am not afraid of public speaking. I enjoy translating bigger goals into achievable steps. I have successfully designed and executed product and test strategies and set up quality and testing principles in various contexts (SaaS, cPaaS, robotics, AI, and health tech). I have set up and run multiple testing or quality communities of practice, reworked the team processes and "shifted left", and mentored and coached many people who found joy and value in their work.
Suggested Content
AI that finds every edge case for you image
Transform your inputs into a ready-to-run test suite. Test both web UIs and backend APIs in minutes with KushoAI.
Explore MoT
Software Testing Live: episode 01 - Breaking the bank image
Tune in to witness a live software testing session. Rahul joins Ben to explore the ParaBank practice app
Cognitive Biases In Software Testing
Learn how to recognise cognitive biases, explain what they are and use them to your advantage in your testing
This Week in Testing
Debrief the week in Testing via a community radio show hosted by Simon Tomes and members of the community
Subscribe to our newsletter
We'll keep you up to date on all the testing trends.