Cyber-Physical Systems: A National Priority for Federal Investment in Infrastructure and Competitiveness

Abstract

Cyber-physical systems will transform how we interact with the physical world just as the Internet transformed how we interact with one another. They promise us autonomous cars; robots at work, at play and at home; intelligent, energy-efficient, earthquake-proof homes and civil infrastructure; embedded medical devices; unobtrusive assistive technologies; and more. At the heart of these applications are computational cores that interact with the physical world, with intelligence provided by software. By deeply embedding computational intelligence, communication, control, and new mechanisms for sensing and actuation, CPS transform our world with systems that respond more quickly (e.g., autonomous collision avoidance), are more precise (e.g., robotic surgery and nano-tolerance manufacturing), work in dangerous or inaccessible environments (e.g., autonomous systems for search and rescue, firefighting, and exploration), provide large-scale, distributed coordination (e.g., automated traffic control), are highly efficient (e.g., zero net energy buildings), augment human capabilities (e.g., assistive technologies), and enhance societal well-being (e.g., ubiquitous healthcare monitoring and delivery).