CAREER:Feasibility of Control Tasks---Towards Control-Computing-Power Co-Design

Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta GA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). CAREER: Feasibility of control tasks-towards control-computing-power co-design PI: Fumin Zhang Intellectual Merit. The PI proposes a fundamental research program to establish theoretical foundation for battery supported cyber-physical systems (CPS). Such systems play vital roles in real-time controlled applications across multiple disciplines such as sensor networks, robotics, and transportation systems, where limited computing resources and energy budget pose major constraints. The proposed effort advances control theory to understand and adjust the behaviors of control tasks supported by embedded computing devices and batteries. The research work provides guidelines for control-computing-power co-design aiming for more reliable cyber-physical systems. Timing control is proposed to complement existing approaches in feedback scheduling by incorporating performance of physical systems. The PI develops integrated models that explicitly address dynamics in the physical, computing, and battery domains. This will be a unique contribution and may be utilized by specialists in computer architecture and battery design to facilitate potentially transformative research. PI's theoretical effort will be verified and extended through his ongoing experimental activities in mobile sensor networks and underwater robotics. Broader Impacts. PI has established collaborations with small businesses so that industries may benefit from the proposed research. He founded the first PhD level research and education programs in both control systems and robotics in Savannah, GA. His robotics teaching and outreach lab supports undergraduate courses and has become an explorer post for Boy Scouts of America. The PI has a proven record on supporting women in engineering and students from under-represented groups.