Faster testing: new application optimises corporate software strategy

Faster testing: new application optimises corporate software strategy

The proper functioning of software is vital; it is, for instance, indispensable for the safe operation of aircraft. Researchers of FlandersMake@UAntwerp therefore helped Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab Aeronautics to test in a more efficient way whether their software met all quality requirements. Colleague and professor Serge Demeyer explained at Heurisko 2022 the new application that we’ve developed for this purpose.

Software is ubiquitous in our daily lives, nowadays even our toothbrush needs regular software updates. And it looks very much like that trend will only continue. In the words of US entrepreneur Marc Andreessen: 'Software is eating the world'. "So as a company, you must have a clear software strategy, or you will be eaten by your competitors”, argues Professor Demeyer.

A large-scale action to brush up on the software strategies of European companies is the TESTOMAT project. This European project is part of the cluster programme ITEA, which in turn is an initiative of the European organisation EUREKA. As part of TESTOMAT, FlandersMake@UAntwerp helped Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab Aeronautics to optimise the way in which it is testing the performance of its software.

Guarding the guards

Here, the focus was on mutation testing, also known as error-based testing. This is a software test type in which small errors or mutations are added to the software code, to test whether these errors are actually being detected, and thus whether the evaluation of the software is effective.

“It's about testing the test”, explains Demeyer. “That is a crucial part of a company's software strategy. The ancient Romans already knew the importance of the answer to the question ‘who will guard the guards themselves?’ (Latin expression attributed to the Roman poet Juvenalis, ed.) Mutation testing is a contemporary answer to that question in terms of software as it helps to guard the proper operation of your software." Modern mutation tests no longer involve human guards, though; everything is automated.

Demeyer also made the comparison with the well-known security checks at the airport. We have all been there placing our suitcase on the luggage carousel, after which a scanner checks that we don’t have prohibited items in our hand luggage. “What is less known is that here as well a form of mutation testing is used to ensure the effectiveness of the security checks”, Demeyer said. “Artificial intelligence regularly adds false prohibited items to check if they are indeed taken out and the process runs according to plan.”

Security airport

Increasing the speed of execution

A major problem, however, is that mutation tests are currently time-consuming, which is obviously a problem for companies. That's why our researchers have developed a new application that will boost the process speed. The new plug-in that they’ve designed, an addition to the open source programme ‘Dextool mutate’, increases the speed of execution of mutation tests. At the same time, the quality of the test strategy is also improved, thus firmly raising the overall effectiveness of the software strategy.

Can you use these tools to get all errors out of the software? “You never have a 100% guarantee, but the loopholes are made smaller and smaller. In any case, we are really looking for needles in a haystack." In addition to the Saab aircraft, Demeyer also gave the example of Tesla as products that can benefit from this new technology: “Think, for instance, of optimising the software for the systems that check if someone is crossing the street.”

Responding to actual needs

Demeyer also underlined the importance of cooperation with industrial players such as Saab. “This is not an application of a group of academics who have sat around the table. We have worked closely together with the people on the ground, who really depend on the proper functioning of the technology. This enabled us to respond rapidly to the actual needs of the company’s software developers.”

This presentation was part of the ‘End-to-end design operation’ track at Heurisko 2022, the annual seminar of Flanders Make. At Heurisko, Flanders Make presents its most innovative and industry-ready research results and the concrete applications of the partner companies involved.

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Kristof Vrancken, Communication Officer

Kristof Vrancken is Digital Communication Officer at Flanders Make since 2019. As Digital Marketeer with experience in both B2B and B2C environments he writes with a fresh view on technological innovation, about what literally and figuratively moves within our research centre.