| Recurring |
one_organization |
(a) The software failure incident happened again at one_organization:
The Mayflower autonomous ship, powered by IBM's AI software, experienced a software failure incident during its attempted transatlantic voyage. The incident involved a mechanical issue with the ship's generator and exhaust system, which led to a decrease in speed and reliance solely on solar power, causing the ship to be unable to complete the journey [118613].
(b) The software failure incident happened again at multiple_organization:
There is no information in the provided article indicating that a similar software failure incident has occurred at other organizations or with their products and services. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design, operation |
(a) The software failure incident related to the design phase can be seen in the article where it mentions that during the attempted transatlantic expedition, the ship's average speed began to slow, leading researchers to think that its generator had mechanical damage. They spent four months addressing the damage, eventually discovering the issue was caused by a leak in the ship’s generator and exhaust system, a problem onboard software couldn’t resolve [118613].
(b) The software failure incident related to the operation phase can be observed in the article where it describes that something caused a metal piece on the generator to fracture, forcing the vessel to rely solely on solar power, which wasn’t enough to complete the trip through rough seas and bad weather. Engineers replaced the generator and redesigned the metal part to prevent the problem from happening again, indicating an operational issue that affected the software's ability to manage the power supply effectively [118613]. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) within_system: The software failure incident related to the Mayflower autonomous ship was primarily within the system. The incident involved a mechanical issue with the ship's generator and exhaust system, leading to a decrease in speed during the transatlantic expedition. The issue was caused by a leak in the ship's generator and exhaust system, which the onboard software couldn't resolve. Engineers had to address the mechanical damage and replace the generator to prevent the problem from happening again [118613]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was primarily due to non-human actions. The autonomous ship powered by IBM's AI software experienced a mechanical issue during its voyage, leading to the need for a software update to reverse course [118613]. The incident was caused by a leak in the ship's generator and exhaust system, which was a problem onboard software couldn't resolve. Engineers had to replace the generator and redesign a metal part to prevent the issue from happening again [118613].
(b) Human actions also played a role in the software failure incident. The setback taught researchers the importance of testing more thoroughly, indicating that more extensive sea trials should have been conducted before the transatlantic expedition [118613]. Additionally, the ship's downtime was used to upgrade some edge computing devices to increase onboard processing power, which was a decision made by the project team [118613]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware, software |
(a) The software failure incident related to hardware:
The software failure incident in the article was attributed to a mechanical issue with the ship's generator and exhaust system, which caused a metal piece on the generator to fracture. This hardware issue led to the vessel having to rely solely on solar power, which was insufficient for the rough seas and bad weather encountered during the voyage [118613].
(b) The software failure incident related to software:
While the article primarily focuses on hardware issues, it does mention that the ship's onboard software was unable to resolve the mechanical damage caused by the leak in the ship's generator and exhaust system. The incident summary obtained by The Washington Post indicated that the onboard software couldn't address the issue, leading to the vessel's reliance on solar power [118613]. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The articles do not mention any malicious intent or actions contributing to the software failure incident. It was primarily a non-malicious failure caused by mechanical issues, specifically a leak in the ship's generator and exhaust system, which the onboard software couldn't resolve [118613]. The incident led to the ship relying solely on solar power, which was not sufficient to complete the voyage through rough seas and bad weather. Engineers had to replace the generator and redesign the metal part to prevent the issue from happening again. The setback was attributed to the need for more testing and sea trials to ensure the ship's readiness for future expeditions. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The software failure incident related to the Mayflower autonomous ship project was not primarily due to poor decisions but rather due to technical issues and unforeseen circumstances. The incident was described as a "minor mechanical issue" that led to the ship having to reverse course [118613]. The issue was related to a leak in the ship's generator and exhaust system, which caused mechanical damage and slowed down the ship's average speed during its transatlantic expedition. Engineers later discovered that a metal piece on the generator had fractured, leading to the vessel relying solely on solar power, which was insufficient for the rough seas and bad weather [118613].
(b) The software failure incident was more aligned with accidental decisions or unintended consequences rather than poor decisions. The setback was attributed to technical issues such as a leak in the generator and a fractured metal piece, which were not a result of deliberate poor decisions but rather unforeseen problems that arose during the voyage [118613]. The incident highlighted the importance of thorough testing and continuous improvement in the development and deployment of autonomous vessels like the Mayflower. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
accidental |
(a) The software failure incident in the article was not primarily attributed to development incompetence. The setback experienced by the autonomous ship during its attempted transatlantic voyage was mainly due to mechanical issues, such as a leak in the ship's generator and exhaust system, which the onboard software couldn't resolve [118613].
(b) The software failure incident in the article was more aligned with an accidental failure. The incident was caused by a fracture in a metal piece on the ship's generator, leading to reliance solely on solar power, which was insufficient to complete the journey through rough seas and bad weather. Engineers replaced the generator and redesigned the metal part to prevent a recurrence of the issue, indicating an accidental failure rather than one due to incompetence [118613]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident related to the Mayflower autonomous ship project was temporary. The incident occurred three days into the voyage when the ship experienced a minor mechanical issue, leading to the need for a software update to reverse course [118613]. The issue was related to a leak in the ship's generator and exhaust system, which caused mechanical damage to the generator. The onboard software was unable to resolve this issue, leading to the ship relying solely on solar power, which was not sufficient for the rough seas and bad weather conditions [118613]. Engineers were able to address the problem by replacing the generator and redesigning the metal part to prevent a recurrence of the issue. This incident highlights a temporary software failure that was resolved through hardware modifications and updates. |
| Behaviour |
other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the article did not involve a crash where the system lost state and did not perform any of its intended functions. The incident was related to a mechanical issue with the autonomous ship, specifically a leak in the ship's generator and exhaust system that caused a slowdown in speed during the transatlantic expedition [118613].
(b) omission: The software failure incident did not involve the system omitting to perform its intended functions at an instance(s). The issue was more related to a mechanical problem with the ship's generator and exhaust system, which led to a decrease in speed during the voyage [118613].
(c) timing: The software failure incident was not due to the system performing its intended functions correctly but too late or too early. The incident was more focused on a mechanical issue with the ship's generator and exhaust system that affected its speed during the transatlantic journey [118613].
(d) value: The software failure incident did not involve the system performing its intended functions incorrectly. The issue was related to a mechanical problem with the ship's generator and exhaust system, which led to a decrease in speed during the voyage [118613].
(e) byzantine: The software failure incident did not involve the system behaving erroneously with inconsistent responses and interactions. The incident was more related to a mechanical issue with the ship's generator and exhaust system that impacted its performance during the transatlantic expedition [118613].
(f) other: The software failure incident was primarily attributed to a mechanical issue with the ship's generator and exhaust system, specifically a leak that caused a slowdown in speed during the transatlantic journey. The incident highlighted the importance of thorough testing and the challenges of operating an autonomous vessel in challenging ocean conditions [118613]. |