Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

Advances in computing, communications, signal processing, and control have generated a significant level of interest in development of new generation of highly networked and sensor and actuator rich systems employed in variety of applications that involve cyber and physical systems. These complex and distributed systems now necessitate development of novel computing, communicating, signal processing, and control technologies that are ultimately envisaged to lead to a safer, more reliable and securer and better world. Due to major breakthroughs in software and cyber engineering technologies, embedded systems are increasingly being utilized in areas ranging from the next generation transportation and aerospace systems, to industrial automation systems, to smart grids, and broadly speaking to what is known as Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). ******The envisaged CPS do more than ever require development of novel and proactive cyber protection and resilient recovery control technologies, as these systems are continuously being targeted by malicious attacks and intrusions by intelligent adversaries. Our overall objective in this research is to develop formal and theoretical frameworks for design of optimal integration of both attack and fault diagnostics and survivable and resilient control recovery methodologies for critical CPS with specific emphasize on application to autonomous network of unmanned vehicles and multi-agent autonomous systems (ANUMV/MAAS). ******The main objective of this research program is on development and implementation of novel methodologies and schemes that will ensure cyber-physical ANUMV/MAAS operate reliably and safely in presence of simultaneous malicious attacks as well as machine induced faults. Innovative methodologies that seamlessly integrate both attack intrusion and fault diagnosis and guarantee protection, survivable and resilient control recovery will be investigated. The main research goals are therefore to simultaneously design and develop proactive intrusion attack/fault monitoring and resilient control reconfigurability methodologies that are characterized by their unique capabilities and features to be components of the next generation of 24/7 available distributed strategic ANUMV/MAAS systems. ******The rewards anticipated from this research do represent many times the initial investment that could be in the form of: (a) proposing and developing novel solutions ultimately for Canada's leading CPS companies to minimize the impact of security treats, and maximize trustworthiness, assurance, acceptance, confidence, survivability, and recovery of their operations subject to adversary attacks and intrusions in key strategic infrastructure systems, and (b) validated and demonstrated proof-of-concept solutions and technologies that could directly be used by targeted ANUMV/MAAS or be adapted to other CPS stakeholders in domains such as smart grids, smart cities, Internet of Things (IoT), and healthcare systems.