Let's Get Physical: Computer Science Meets Systems

In cyber-physical systems (CPS) computing, networking and control (typically regarded as the "cyber"part of the system) are tightly intertwined with mechanical, electrical, thermal, chemical or biological processes (the "physical"part). The increasing sophistication and heterogeneity of these systems requires radical changes in the way senseand- control platforms are designed to regulate them. In this paper, we highlight some of the design challenges due to the complexity and heterogeneity of CPS. We argue that such challenges can be addressed by leveraging concepts that have been instrumental in fostering electronic design automation while dealing with complexity in VLSI system design. Based on these concepts, we introduce a design methodology whereby platform-based design is combined with assume-guarantee contracts to formalize the design process and enable realization of CPS architectures and control software in a hierarchical and compositional manner. We demonstrate our approach on a prototype design of an aircraft electric power system.