IoT and 5G as enablers for Networked Human-Cyber-Physical Systems

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are transformative technologies for managing interconnected systems between a system’s physical assets and computational capabilities. Several novel opportunities and research challenges emerge in CPS from the core domains of CPS, the physical and the cyber world and their interdependencies, as well as other domains such as networking and distributed systems. Specifically, CPS are frequently distributed and often they are either large-scale or require elasticity of scale as utilization fluctuates. Most of CPS are networked, typically via the Internet or the cloud, or via special logical or physical networks, leading s to networked CPS (Net-CPS). Examples include modern factories, modern enterprises, heterogeneous wireless networks, heterogeneous wireless sensor networks, social networks over the Internet, the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC), the Internet of Things (IoT). Furthermore, we now live and work in a networked immersed world. That is humans are now important components of these networked systems. We call the resulting systems networked human-cyber- physical systems (Net-HCPS). The main thesis of the presentation is that the emerging technologies of IoT and 5G are indispensable enablers of both Net-CPS and Net-HCPS. We illustrate with several ubiquitous examples. The requirements for Net-HCPS design and performance evaluation suggest that a promising idea is to make the communication networks linking the components in Net-CPS, both programmable and flexible to changing operating conditions. This is precisely where Software Defined Networks (SDN) offers exciting new opportunities. SDN is a new paradigm that provides unprecedented flexibility via dynamic, programmatic (re) configuration of network resources using open standard interfaces. Neither 5G or IoT can be efficiently and predictably implemented without Software Defined Wireless Networks (SDWN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV). We describe how these interdependencies lead us to a Software-Defined Architecture for Net-CPS and Net-HCPS. We describe critical implications of this work for the Industrial Internet and Industrie 4.0. Our work is in line with major shifts and R&D interests in major communication companies (including Nokia Bell labs, Qualcomm, Ericsson, AT&T). Finally, it has huge implications on smart cities viewed as Net-HCPS.