# 183: Robots Having Nervous Breakdowns

- Show: [Embedded.fm](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm)
- Published: 2017-01-11
- Length: 1h 08m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-11-183-robots-having-nervous-breakdowns
- Listen: https://makingembeddedsystems.libsyn.com/183-robots-having-nervous-breakdowns

## Summary

Professor Philip Koopman of Carnegie Mellon University and co-founder of Edge Case Research discusses the critical importance of formal peer reviews in embedded software development. He argues that while informal reviews are insufficient, structured Fagan-style inspections find the majority of bugs for a fraction of the total project cost, effectively making high quality 'free' by preventing expensive late-stage fixes. Koopman explains that cultural resistance often stems from a misunderstanding of progress, where managers equate 'code complete' with actual completion, leading to dangerous shortcuts in safety-critical and mission-critical systems.

## Chapters

- [0:06](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-11-183-robots-having-nervous-breakdowns#t=6) Introduction: Philip Koopman and Edge Case Research
- [1:24](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-11-183-robots-having-nervous-breakdowns#t=84) Koopman's Career: Navy, Harris Semiconductor, and Academia
- [4:31](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-11-183-robots-having-nervous-breakdowns#t=271) Lightning Round: Compilers, Processors, and Fictional Computers
- [12:43](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-11-183-robots-having-nervous-breakdowns#t=763) The Better Embedded Software Blog and Book Philosophy
- [22:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-11-183-robots-having-nervous-breakdowns#t=1338) The Case for Formal Fagan-Style Peer Reviews
- [29:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-11-183-robots-having-nervous-breakdowns#t=1741) Agile, Documentation, and the Cost of Quality
- [38:41](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-11-183-robots-having-nervous-breakdowns#t=2321) Overcoming Cultural Resistance to Reviews
- [55:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/embedded-fm/2017-01-11-183-robots-having-nervous-breakdowns#t=3316) Edge Case Research: Robot Stress Testing and Training

## Topics

- [Embedded firmware](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/embedded-firmware)
- [Quality & yield](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/quality-and-yield)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Edge Case Research (company)
- Carnegie Mellon University (other)
- Better Embedded Software (product)
- Harris Semiconductor (company)
- United Technologies (company)
- Code Warrior (tool)
- RTX 4000 (chip)
- Vintage Aero (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Code Reviews](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2024-07-26-code-reviews) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [Christmas Special](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2021-12-22-christmas-special) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [On Code Review](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/oxide-and-friends/2021-11-02-on-code-review) (Oxide and Friends)
- [Technical Debt in Embedded Systems Development](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2021-06-08-technical-debt-in-embedded-systems-development) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)
- [François Baldassari from Memfault on IoT Observability](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2023-02-15-francois-baldassari-from-memfault-on-iot-observability) (The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast)

## Citing this page

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