Cyber Physical Computing

Department of Computer Science

The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign

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Why Join Us?

 

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What is Good Research?

 

·   There has to be a long-term need for it in the broader society. Cyber-physical computing fulfills a perpetual over-arching need to achieve progress towards the betterment of human kind. Data (about the physical world) is a prerequisite to all major scientific advances. Human ability to collect and consume data is limited. The integration of physical systems and computation sets us free of such limitations. Unprecedented potential arises to increase the rate, granularity, and types of data we collect about the physical world, as well as our ability to process and react to those data. The impact is universal. Applications of cyber-physical computing range from understanding the ‘impending demise’ of the human race due to global warming to improving the quality of life with technology that allows one to live independently in older years.

·   It should be outward looking. Much research in computer science is understood only by computer scientists. For example, some of us investigate tools that we could use to make our own research go faster. Computers, however, existed for less that half a century. Often, longer-lasting impact is achieved by addressing problems where computing itself is not the goal. Cyber-physical computing may be at the cusp of an era of significant advances at the boundary of computer science and other fields, enabled by research on computer science problems!

·   It should have a long horizon. The academic environment offers the luxury of thinking big and shooting far ahead. There are no product deadlines and time-to-market is not the driver for your work. We imagine a world that will exist many years into the future and produce a set of artifacts and results that are relevant at different stages of transition starting today and ending when the ultimate vision is realized. 

·   It should be based on solid analytic foundations. Analytic foundations offer a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of your work (as opposed to, say, simulation only). Cyber-physical systems need new theory that describes computation, predicts performance, quantifies capacity, accommodates time and space constraints, and generally allows informed design of a new generation of computing systems.    

·   It aims at practical impact. In the end, the goal is to ‘make the world a better place to live’. Abstract theory should be converted to actual systems that have a transition path into the real world. Our group has a strong practical orientation. Analytic results developed in this group are incorporated into new system prototypes that demonstrate the concepts.  

·   Finally, you should be able to find funding for it. Our research area is well funded by major government agencies and industry.