With distributed functions taking over more and
more safety-relevant functions in modern cars,
their possible faulty behaviour has to be detected
and dangerous effects to be prevented or mitigated.
Additionally, information about the fault’s
root cause has to be provided to support repairs
in the garage. These are the central tasks of automotive
diagnosis, which is arguably a prime application
for the methods and tools developed by
the diagnosis community at large. However, our
experiences have shown that the constraints imposed
by this domain, which has a great need

Actuator systems are employed widely in aerospace, transportation and industrial processes to provide power to critical loads, such as aircraft control surfaces. They must operate reliably and accurately in order for the vehicle / process to complete successfully its designated mission. Incipient actuator failure conditions may severely endanger the operational integrity of the vehicle / process and compromise its mission.