Cyber-Physical Systems and uncertainty

Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are physical systems equipped with embedded controllers and communication capabilities. CPS are becoming pervasive, (e.g. safety-critical systems, autonomous robots, smart cities, smart building, intelligent car), thus increasing the need for high-confidence analysis and design tools that can handle the underlying tight interactions between the physical and the digital worlds. CPS often operate in dynamic, uncertain and adverse environment, while at the same time must comply with demanding safety requirements that should be taken in full consideration from early design stages. It is therefore timely and important to develop sound theories and effective related computational methods for designing CPS that are correct-by-construction, i.e. CPS that operates safely regardless of uncertainty, fault or cyber-attack. This introductory talk will give a short overview of the state of the art, and some of the current challenges in the field.