This project addresses the management of the air traffic system, a cyber-physical system where the need for a tight connection between the computational algorithms and the physical system is critical to safe, reliable and efficient performance. Indeed, the lack of this tight connection is one of the reasons current systems are overwhelmed by the ever increasing traffic and suffer when there is any deviation from the expected (e.g., changing weather).

This CPS research focuses on collaborative driving, specifically in convoy type applications, and testing of hybrid systems. Specfically, this research investigates the development of the computational issues and testing aspects of a newer, more tactical hybrid state autonomous controller for multi-robot exploration scenarios for DSTO Multi Autonomous Ground-robotic International Challenge (MAGIC 2010) and the evaluation of th eautomotive convoy-based scenarios of the Grand Cooperative Driving Challenge (May 2011).

Modern processor architectures sacrifice timing predictability for increased average computational throughput. Branch prediction, multi-level memory hierarchies, out-of-order execution, and data forwarding all make exact execution timing prediction impossible. As accurate runtime predictions are required for task scheduling, the goal of this research is to develop a Precision Timed (PRET) processor, along with the inter-process communication methods and operating system services, which remove many of the sources of timing indeterminacy.

Cyber-physical systems research aims to provide devices with autonomous decision-making that are robust enough to be employed in a variety of important applications. Thus, it is necessary to design physically-grounded intelligent agents that autonomously plan and coordinate their actions as they interact with complex physical processes. Physically-grounded means that the agents must model the physical world in a realistic manner and consider the effects of physical constraints.

Many of the future applications of systems and control that will pertain to cyber-physical systems are those related to problems of (pos

The objective of this research is to create interfaces that enable people with impaired sensory-motor function to control interactive cyber-physical systems such as artificial limbs, wheelchairs, automobiles, and aircraft. The approach is based on the premise that performance can be significantly enhanced merely by warping the perceptual feedback provided to the human user. A systematic way to design this feedback will be developed by addressing a number of underlying mathematical and computational challenges.  

The hypothesis of this research is that a successful cyber-physical system will need to be a learning agent, learning the properties of its sensors, effectors, and environment from its own experience, and adapting over time. Inspired by human developmental learning, we believe that foundational concepts such as Space, Object, Action, etc., are essential for such a learning agent to abstract and control the complexity of its world. To bridge the gap between continuous interaction with the physical environment, and discrete symbolic descriptions th

The objective of this project is to investigate fundamental issues in network control and distributed coordination of wireless sensor and robotic networks. The research approach is to exploit intrinsic properties of such systems to ensure stability and high performance despite the deleterious network effects.  

Augmenting dedicated control systems with
 real-time sensor 
and actuator networks poses a number of new challenges in control system design that cannot be addressed with traditional process 
control methods, including: a) the handling of additional, potentially
 asynchronous and/or delayed
 measurements in the overall networked control system, and b) the
 substantial increase in the number of process state variables, manipulated inputs, and measurements which may impede the ability of
 centralized control systems to carry out real-time calculations within th

This research project addresses fundamental challenges in the verification and analysis of distributed hybrid systems.  In particular, we are working to minimize the mismatch between the combinations of dynamics that occur in complex physical systems and the limited kinds of dynamics currently supported in analysis.