This year's two-day Safetronic conference will once again focus on a wide range of presentations to the holistic safety of road vehicles. Frank Kirschke-Biller, member of the program committee, discusses focal points and highlights for participants in an interview.
June 17, 2024
© Fraunhofer IKS
Frank Kirschke-Biller studied electrical engineering at the University of Duisburg, specializing in systems engineering.
He began his professional career in 1993 at imech GmbH, a start-up company with a focus on mechatronics, where he built up and managed the "Sensor and Device Technology" division.
From 2000 to 2019, he worked at Ford in various positions in the E/E (electrics/electronics) area. This included the development of the infotainment area and responsibility for architectures, but in particular the global management of software development processes and quality assurance.
Since 2019, he has been responsible for process, compliance, and safety issues (ISO26262 and 21448) for the E/E world at Volkswagen AG.
Frank Kirschke-Biller was a member of the AUTOSAR steering committee for 10 years. He was involved in various VDA working groups (e.g., Cybersecurity, Agile Collaboration) and is a member of the program committee of VDAsys and Safetronic.
H. T. Hengl:
You decided to join the program committee for Safetronic 2023. What motivated you to do so?
Frank Kirschke-Biller:
I have known Safetronic for many years and gave a presentation there ten years ago. As the topic of product safety plays a significant role in my current job, I was delighted to be invited to join the program committee.
H. T. Hengl:
And you are back again this year. It looks like you are comfortable in the committee, with the topics and with the work...
Frank Kirschke-Biller:
Absolutely! The topics are technically very interesting, and both the scope and the relevance are increasing. Working in the committee is very pleasant, and I have known many of my colleagues there for many years
H. T. Hengl:
Speaking of topics: Which aspects and topics that will be discussed at Safetronic are particularly important to you?
Frank Kirschke-Biller:
In addition to functional safety, other topics such as SOTIF and cybersecurity have become established in recent years and are closely related. That is why a holistic view of product safety is very important to me. This is also required by UNECE R157 as part of a management system. But there are also many other areas of expertise, such as artificial intelligence (AI) or questions about scenario coverage, which I find very exciting.
H. T. Hengl:
Can you already tell us the main focuses of this year's program?
Frank Kirschke-Biller:
This year's program is once again a balanced mix, although it was difficult to choose from the many excellent submissions. In addition to the overview of updates in norms and standards, there is a focus on practice-oriented methods for optimizing safety and safety concept approaches for automated driving. However, very technical presentations, e.g., on specific AUTOSAR and Linux issues, will also be addressed. New this year are two "Focus Talk Sessions", in which innovative approaches are presented in short talks. This has enabled us as a committee to provide a plenum for further exciting papers.
Safetronic — the international conference on holistic safety for road vehicles in Stuttgart — offers testimonies and presentations on innovative solutions from leading OEMs and suppliers, as well as intensive opportunities for discussion. Learn about current industry trends and developments!
We are delighted to share the first version of our program with you, including the following companies and institutes who will be giving talks this year: AVL, Bosch, Daimler Truck, exida.com, FERNRIDE, Joby Aviation, TTTech, Vector, Vitesco, Wayve, ZF
H. T. Hengl:
Do you have a personal highlight?
Frank Kirschke-Biller:
I'm particularly looking forward to the presentation "AI in vehicle technology" by Hans-Leo Ross and Dr. Bernhard Bauer. Not only because I know them both and value them as experts, but also because the topic of AI will play an increasingly important role. Incidentally, this not only applies to the technology in the vehicle, but also offers potential in PMT optimization. (PMT: processes, methods and tools)
I am also very excited about the presentation "Innovating Safety: Assurance for the Next Generation of Aviation" by Kim Wasson, as the view of other industries broadens the horizon.
H. T. Hengl:
What would you say to a colleague to convince him or her to come to Safetronic?
Frank Kirschke-Biller:
In the important field of product safety, Safetronic has been one of the most important conferences for years. There you get not only the latest information on standards and regulations, but also a relevant insight into the implementation within the industry. But the exchange with other experts is also always rewarding.
