Citation
Edward A. Lee. "Cyber Physical Systems: Design Challenges". Technical report, University of California, Berkeley, EECS Dept., UCB/EECS-2008-8, January, 2008.

Abstract
Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are integrations of computation and physical processes. Embedded computers and networks monitor and control the physical processes, usually with feedback loops where physical processes affect computations and vice versa. The economic and societal potential of such systems is vastly greater than what has been realized, and major investments are being made worldwide to develop the technology. There are considerable challenges, particularly because the physical components of such systems introduce safety and reliability requirements qualitatively different from those in general-purpose computing. Moreover, physical components are qualitatively different from object-oriented software components. Standard abstractions based on method calls and threads do not work. This paper examines the challenges in designing such systems, and in particular raises the question of whether today¿s computing and networking technologies provide an adequate foundation for CPS. It concludes that it will not be sufficient to improve design processes, raise the level of abstraction, or verify (formally or otherwise) designs that are built on today¿s abstractions. To realize the full potential of CPS, we will have to rebuild computing and networking abstractions. These abstractions will have to embrace physical dynamics and computation in a unified way.

Electronic downloads

• http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/Pubs/TechRpts/2008/EECS-2008-8.html

• HTML

  Edward A. Lee. <a
  href="http://chess.eecs.berkeley.edu/pubs/586.html"
  ><i>Cyber Physical Systems: Design
  Challenges</i></a>, Technical report, 
  University of California, Berkeley, EECS Dept.,
  UCB/EECS-2008-8, January, 2008.

• Plain text

  Edward A. Lee. "Cyber Physical Systems: Design
  Challenges". Technical report,  University of
  California, Berkeley, EECS Dept., UCB/EECS-2008-8, January,
  2008.

• BibTeX

  @techreport{Lee08_CyberPhysicalSystemsDesignChallenges,
      author = {Edward A. Lee},
      title = {Cyber Physical Systems: Design Challenges},
      institution = {University of California, Berkeley, EECS Dept.},
      number = {UCB/EECS-2008-8},
      month = {January},
      year = {2008},
      abstract = {Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are integrations of
                computation and physical processes. Embedded
                computers and networks monitor and control the
                physical processes, usually with feedback loops
                where physical processes affect computations and
                vice versa. The economic and societal potential of
                such systems is vastly greater than what has been
                realized, and major investments are being made
                worldwide to develop the technology. There are
                considerable challenges, particularly because the
                physical components of such systems introduce
                safety and reliability requirements qualitatively
                different from those in general-purpose computing.
                Moreover, physical components are qualitatively
                different from object-oriented software
                components. Standard abstractions based on method
                calls and threads do not work. This paper examines
                the challenges in designing such systems, and in
                particular raises the question of whether today¿s
                computing and networking technologies provide an
                adequate foundation for CPS. It concludes that it
                will not be sufficient to improve design
                processes, raise the level of abstraction, or
                verify (formally or otherwise) designs that are
                built on today¿s abstractions. To realize the
                full potential of CPS, we will have to rebuild
                computing and networking abstractions. These
                abstractions will have to embrace physical
                dynamics and computation in a unified way.},
      URL = {http://chess.eecs.berkeley.edu/pubs/586.html}
  }
  

Posted by Christopher Brooks on 13 May 2009.
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