The Therac-25 Incident
14 days ago
- #software-failure
- #engineering-ethics
- #safety-critical
- The Therac-25 was a radiotherapy machine involved in multiple fatal accidents due to software errors.
- A race condition in the software allowed lethal radiation overdoses when operators typed too quickly.
- The manufacturer, AECL, lacked proper software testing and safety processes, leading to systemic failures.
- The incidents highlighted the importance of rigorous software testing and organizational accountability in safety-critical systems.
- The FDA intervened, but AECL struggled to implement effective corrective actions and testing protocols.
- The Therac-25 case remains a cautionary tale about the consequences of poor software engineering practices.