The work performed during the project includes:
(1) A detailed analysis of the most advanced devices and algorithms for object detection, such as NVIDIA GPUs and accelerators, such as Google's TPUs. On the software side, the studied object detection codes are Convolution Neural Networks (CNNs), such as You Only Look Once, Faster R-CNN, BirdNet, ResNet, etc…
We have performed several radiation beam experiments, both remotely (at ChipIR, UK) and in presence (at ILL, France) that allowed to have a complete understanding of the main computing characteristics of the most advanced devices for CNN and object detection execution.
(2) We have evaluated the reliability of hardware and software for object detection. To have a realistic and detailed evaluation of faults generation and propagation we have combined accelerated neutron beam experiments with software/architecture fault injection. We have also identify the faults that are more critical for the object detection framework and should then be detected or corrected.
(3) We have designed efficient and effective hardening solutions at different levels of abstraction. We have considered and evaluate hardware protection on the most critical memory resources, we have proposed an updated architecture for using redundant GPU resources to have a fast error detection, and we have designed dedicated hardening solutions at software level, re-designing the neural network.
(4) Several important actions have been taken to disseminate PERIOD study and results. Given the pandemic issue, most of these events were online, not affecting the PERIOD budget.
A- I have participated to the researchers' night in September 2021, with a public interview and a "walk with the researcher". I have discussed with ten people the importance of object detection reliability while walking the streets of Torino.
B- I have given 8 lessons to high school pupils in Italy, discussing the importance and challenges in autonomous systems. The attendance and interaction were really exciting, with more than 160 students involved, overall.
C- I have been interviewed in the host institution web radio (hundreds of daily audience), I have recorded a podcast about the PERIOD project, I have talked about my research to international journalists.
D - I have organized a seminar at the host institution, attended by 50 researchers, and I have given two lessons to the host institution students about my research.
E - I was selected as the Marie Curie Fellow of the Week, with hundreds of interactions in the social media (facebook, linkedin, instagram, twitter)
F - We have published several papers in highly important journals and conferences (more details in the publication session). I gave 2 invited talks (100 of attendees), one at the SUREALIST workshop, in August, and one at the ART conference. I also organized SELSE 2021, as a General Chair, that was attended by more than 100 researchers and students worldwide.
