Cognitive Systems

In cognitive systems, the most important characteristic is the ability to reliably and optimally respond to unexpected events and unknown changes, particularly in safety-critical applications. For instance: when a self-driving automobile detects an object on the road that it is unable to identify, it has to react, brake if needed and then avoid the obstacle, all in a dependable manner. If an automobile is capable of reacting dependably, despite such unexpected and unknown challenges, the Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems IKS describes this as »resilience« in keeping with the work of computer scientist Jean-Claude Laprie.

The research activities of the Fraunhofer Institute for Cognitive Systems IKS focus on ensuring that cognitive systems can also be utilized to assume safety-critical functions, a capability that has often been lacking to date given that verifying the reliability of cognitive systems represents a major challenge. With this in mind, three aspects form the foundation of the institute’s work in making cognitive systems suitable for safety-critical applications:

• Cognitive connectivity
• Cognitive architecture
• Cognitive behavior