Collaborative Research: Robust-by-Design Networked Dynamical Systems: Bridging the Logic/Analog Divide

University Of California-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara CA

Investigators

Abstract

Fragility and resiliency of future, highly-interconnected networked control system is a major concern for safety-critical applications such as autonomous vehicles and the energy generation/distribution grid. Failure events of such critical systems must be carefully studied, and systems redesigned to avoid them. The current state of the art involves time-consuming and inherently incomplete after-design simulations. The aim of this project is to develop theoretical and computationally scalable techniques so that such systems can be robust-by-design. Our methodology can help design more resilient components and systems with a-priori safety guarantees. We will develop a framework in which networked dynamic systems are analyzed by modeling interactions as event-triggered and/or stochastic couplings. Such dynamical couplings can be triggered by proximity, remote sensing or other pairwise mechanisms resulting in a state-dependent pattern of interactions for the overall system. Stability and robustness conditions will be given in terms of L2 and variance contractivity of systems, and algebraic properties of the state-dependent interaction graph. In contrast to Monte Carlo based methods, such conditions scale well with increasing system size. Synthesis methods for control algorithms with guaranteed performance in the presence of exogenous, adversarial, and system uncertainty will be developed using this framework. The education plan includes capstone design demonstrations and a new graduate level course in networked control systems. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.