As computers, communication bandwidth become increasingly faster and cheaper, computing and communication capabilities will be embedded in interconnected devices placed in complex physical environments. We refer to systems that bridge the cyber-world of computing and communications with the physical one as cyber-physical systems (CPS).
Intellectual Merit
The convergence of computing and communications raises significant engineering challenges because of the scale, the need to bridge physical and software domains, and the need to operate efficiently, securely and reliably. We propose to develop innovative methods and tools for three critical sub-problems:
-Efficient Resource Allocation, i.e. the capability to efficiently parse the potentially enormous amount of data to distill the information relevant to failure/attack detection, estimation, control, and decision-making. We propose to study novel approaches for sensor scheduling to address energy efficiency and performance guarantees with respect to estimation and detection applications.
-Security, i.e. the capability to detect malicious attacks, to guarantee continuity of operations with gracefully decreased functionalities, and to ultimately thwart attacks by reconfiguring and restoring full functionality. We propose to integrate security in the system design process, by defining classes of threats and designing attack resilient control systems.
-Robustness/Reconfigurability. CPS must be engineered to handle change. We propose to model and analyze the interaction between sensing, communication and computing infrastructure to enable robust/ reconfigurable design of decision-making mechanisms.
Broader Impact
The technological impact of the proposed work is rooted in the development of design tools for robust, secure CPS that will reduce design cycle time, increase operational efficiency and make a compelling economic case for widespread use of CPS. Efficiency implies less energy consumption and therefore lower emissions. Reliability and security will prove crucial to the adoption of such technology in many industrial applications.
The educational impact of this project stems from the transition of research directly to classrooms through cutting-edge courses and to laboratories by building suitable test-beds that will offer a comprehensive learning experience for the next generation of engineering students.
