MISRA C and the LDRA Tool Suite Selected to Ensure Safety in Power Wheelchair Head Control

To achieve software code consistency mandated by IEC 62304 and to help ensure functional safety and security in the device, NOW Technologies chose to comply with the MISRA C:2012 software development guidelines.

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Business Wire, Inc.Business Wire, Inc.
Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Information
Tags: 
Technology, Data management, Hardware, Software, Other Technology, Security, Health, General Health, Computing, Digital technology, Hinckley and Bosworth, Software engineering, C, MISRA C, Safety, IEC 62304, Motor Industry Software Reliability Association, Coding conventions, Misra, Functional safety
Geotags: 
United Kingdom, United States, Europe, HUNGARY
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Summary
Key Points: 
  • To achieve software code consistency mandated by IEC 62304 and to help ensure functional safety and security in the device, NOW Technologies chose to comply with the MISRA C:2012 software development guidelines.
  • NOW Technologies, based in Budapest, Hungary, chose LDRArules to automate compliance of its headset controller software with the MISRA C:2012 coding standard.
  • The compliance with coding standards like MISRA C:2012 is crucial in medical devices and, as a member of the MISRA C committee, LDRA is well placed to help customers meet the coding standards and safety requirements of medical device software.
  • For more information on the LDRA tool suite, please visit www.ldra.com .


LDRA,
the leader in standards compliance, automated software verification,
software code analysis, and test tools, today announced that NOW
Technologies has chosen the LDRA tool suite to perform static analysis
of software code in its multi-purpose Gyroset
Glory headset that enables gesture-based motion control to drive
wheelchairs for injured and disabled users.

Because one of the functions of the Gyroset Glory headset from NOW
Technologies is wheelchair control, it has been developed in accordance
with the IEC 62304 medical device software lifecycle processes. To
achieve software code consistency mandated by IEC 62304 and to help
ensure functional safety and security in the device, NOW Technologies
chose to comply with the MISRA C:2012 software development guidelines.

NOW Technologies, based in Budapest, Hungary, chose LDRArules to
automate compliance of its headset controller software with the MISRA
C:2012 coding standard. LDRArules provides clear visibility into
software flaws and violations of source code that otherwise pass through
the build and test process and lead to costly rework and project delays.
The compliance with coding standards like MISRA C:2012 is crucial in
medical devices and, as a member of the MISRA C committee, LDRA is well
placed to help customers meet the coding standards and safety
requirements of medical device software.

“The connected nature of the Gyroset controller inevitably made safety
and security of software code a critical requirement,” said Mark Istvan,
Managing Director of NOW Technologies. “LDRArules’ SGS-TÜV SAAR
certification made the qualification of the safety-critical headset
controller far less tedious and has been invaluable to us in providing
evidence of our adherence to the IEC 62304 standard. I would estimate
that we have saved at least €200K by using the tool, which represents a
very speedy return on investment for us.”

LDRArules
is a stand-alone rules checker that enables embedded designers to adhere
to industry-specific and user-defined coding standards and quickly
identify potential faults and security vulnerabilities. Developers of
safety-critical devices can use the tool to:

  • Drill down into violations in specific coding standards and view a
    filtered summary report comprising flow graphs and easy-to-read code
    review reports
  • Quickly identify code quality, fault detection, and avoidance measures
    with intuitive reporting mechanisms
  • Enhance collaboration and communication among team members by
    providing code analysis information in an easy-to-use graphical user
    interface
  • Quickly identify and repair coding flaws so as to reduce overall
    development costs

“Many safety-critical standards, whether for medical, automotive, or
industrial controls, require code analysis in addition to process
compliance to ensure no programming errors inadvertently cause failures
in how the software functions,” said Ian Hennell, Operations Director,
LDRA.”It is inspiring to hear how NOW Technologies has used LDRArules to
confirm MISRA C compliance for its connected headset. Not only do users
of the headset gain far more freedom, but the design team can streamline
the debug process, saving cost and reducing risk.”

Additional information about how LDRA helps software development teams
build safety into their medical devices is available at https://ldra.com/medical/.

About LDRA

For more than 40 years, LDRA has developed and driven the market for
software that automates code analysis and software testing for safety-,
mission-, security-, and business-critical markets. Working with clients
to achieve early error identification and full compliance with industry
standards, LDRA traces requirements through static and dynamic analysis
to unit testing and verification for a wide variety of hardware and
software platforms. Boasting a worldwide presence, LDRA is headquartered
in the United Kingdom with subsidiaries in the United States, Germany,
and India coupled with an extensive distributor network. For more
information on the LDRA tool suite, please visit www.ldra.com.

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