Before Autonomy Takes Control: Software Testing in Robotics
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arXiv
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| _version_ | 1866910008933875712 |
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| author | Chur, Nils de Moura, Thiago Santos Ortega, Argentina Peldszus, Sven Berger, Thorsten Hochgeschwender, Nico Noller, Yannic |
| author_facet | Chur, Nils de Moura, Thiago Santos Ortega, Argentina Peldszus, Sven Berger, Thorsten Hochgeschwender, Nico Noller, Yannic |
| contents | Robotic systems are complex and safety-critical software systems. As such, they need to be tested thoroughly. Unfortunately, robot software is intrinsically hard to test compared to traditional software, mainly since the software needs to closely interact with hardware, account for uncertainty in its operational environment, handle disturbances, and act highly autonomously. However, given the large space in which robots operate, anticipating possible failures when designing tests is challenging. This paper presents a mapping study by considering robotics testing papers and relating them to the software testing theory. We consider 247 robotics testing papers and map them to software testing, discussing the state-of-the-art software testing in robotics with an illustrated example, and discuss current challenges. Forming the basis to introduce both the robotics and software engineering communities to software testing challenges. Finally, we identify open questions and lessons learned. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_02293 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Before Autonomy Takes Control: Software Testing in Robotics Chur, Nils de Moura, Thiago Santos Ortega, Argentina Peldszus, Sven Berger, Thorsten Hochgeschwender, Nico Noller, Yannic Software Engineering Robotics Robotic systems are complex and safety-critical software systems. As such, they need to be tested thoroughly. Unfortunately, robot software is intrinsically hard to test compared to traditional software, mainly since the software needs to closely interact with hardware, account for uncertainty in its operational environment, handle disturbances, and act highly autonomously. However, given the large space in which robots operate, anticipating possible failures when designing tests is challenging. This paper presents a mapping study by considering robotics testing papers and relating them to the software testing theory. We consider 247 robotics testing papers and map them to software testing, discussing the state-of-the-art software testing in robotics with an illustrated example, and discuss current challenges. Forming the basis to introduce both the robotics and software engineering communities to software testing challenges. Finally, we identify open questions and lessons learned. |
| title | Before Autonomy Takes Control: Software Testing in Robotics |
| topic | Software Engineering Robotics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.02293 |