Safety & Security · Software component
Reflexive Safety Controller
Software componentSafety & SecuritySafety, Security & Governancearc:ReflexiveSafetyController
A pre-programmed finite-state reactive controller that executes emergency stops or evasive manoeuvres on safety-critical sensor events without consulting planning layers.
Responsibility. Executes immediate pre-programmed safety manoeuvres on critical threats.
Also known as: Reactive emergency response layer, Layer 1 reflex controller, Collision avoidance controller
Relationships
is routed to by dynamic
receives data from dynamic
sends data to dynamic
overrides control
Design guidance
- MUST take precedence over all other replanning layers for safety-critical failures.
- SHOULD favour an immediate safe-but-suboptimal action over pausing for optimal planning.
- SHOULD signal an in-progress safety intervention so higher layers suspend until it resolves.
Quantitative guidance
As stated by the sources; verify before use.
- Millisecond-to-second timescale; e.g., obstacle within 5 m with unsafe closing velocity triggers 0.8 g braking (Ch5.6).
Classification
- Patterns
- Finite state machine reflexesSubsumption-style precedence
- Quality attributes
- Safety (ISO/IEC 25010 | NIST AI RMF: safe)Performance efficiency (ISO/IEC 25010)
- Risks mitigated
- Collisions during planning latencySafety-critical precondition violations
Sources
- Ch5.6: T. Nguyen, "A* Search and Replaning," in Mastering Agentic AI Systems: Guide for the NVIDIA NCP-AAI Exam, 1st ed. 2026, ch. 5.6. ISBN: 9798244538229.