Hardware-in-the-Loop Pre-Deployment Testing
Objective
Ensure safety-critical behaviors undergo HITL testing before deployment and after significant changes.
Control / requirement
HITL testing includes actual deployment hardware; covers safety-critical behaviors from hazard analysis, boundary conditions, and sim-to-real-transfer- challenging scenarios; repeated after significant changes.
Applicability
Systems where simulation-trained or simulation- validated behavior has physical safety implications.
Expected evidence
HITL test platform documentation; test scenario specifications traced to hazard analysis; test execution records; sim-to-real gap analysis. [T2/T3]
Assurance expectation
Test coverage analysis demonstrating safety-critical behaviors are tested in HITL configuration, not only simulation.
Dependencies
PAI-SF-SAF-001 (safe-state behaviors are test priorities).
Exclusions
For systems with negligible physical consequence, simulation-only validation may be proportionally acceptable.
Maturity / conformance relevance
Expected at Operational and High-Assurance levels; Foundational expects a documented testing strategy at minimum.
Ecosystem relationship
Extends GAISSF™ testing controls to physical hardware validation; informs AI-IRF™ post-incident revalidation.