Our overall aim in this project is to synthesize desired behaviors in populations of bacterial and mammalian cells. To this goal, we define the basis of a next-generation cyber-physical system (CPS) called biological CPS (bioCPS). The enabling technologies are synthetic biology and micron-scale mobile robotics. Synthetic genetic circuits for decision making and local communication among the cells are automatically synthesized using a Bio-Design Automation (BDA) workflow.

This project aims at accelerating the deployment of security measures for cyber-physical systems (CPSs) by proposing a framework that combines anomaly identification approaches, which emphasizes on the development of decentralized cyber-attack monitoring and diagnostic-like components, with robust control countermeasure to improve reliability and maintain system functionality. One of the main challenges for cyber physical systems is the security of transmitted data over the communication network.

This project will design and implement a domain-specific language and compiler for microfluidic laboratory-on-a-chip (LoC) devices based on electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWoD) technology. The Lead PI’s team has designed and implemented BioScript, a domain-specific programming language for programmable microfluidics. The BioScript syntax is programmer friendly, with the intention of being accessible to biologists and other researchers and practitioners in the life sciences.

This project is a component of a larger effort is to develop the foundations of modeling, synthesis and development of verified medical device software and systems from verified closed-loop models of the device and organ(s). This research spans both implantable medical devices such as cardiac pacemakers and physiological control systems such as drug infusion pumps which have multiple networked medical systems. Here we focus on an education and outreach activity associated with the project.

The goal of this project is to create an integrative framework for the design of coupled biological and robotic systems that accommodates system uncertainties and competing objectives in a rigorous, holistic, and e­ffective manner. The design principles are developed using a concrete, end-to-end application of tracking and modeling fish movement with a network of gliding robotic fish. The proposed robotic platform is an energy-efficient underwater gliding robotic fish that travels by changing its buoyancy and mass distribution (gliding) or by flapping tail fin (swimming).

The project aims to advance both foundations and enabling technologies in the field of human-machine systems, with a focus on exercise and rehabilitation machines. A human interacting with an advanced (actively-controlled) exercise machine is the ultimate cyber-physical system due to the presence of multi-level loop closures, large-scale, coupled musculoskeletal dynamics, conflicting objectives between human vs. machine controllers, uncertain dynamics and limited sensing.