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Cyber-Physical systems are ubiquitous these days from smart phones to smart buildings, to smart cities. Often they themselves are interconnected to each other via physical infrastructure networks such as roads, social networks via electronic groups and platforms such as Facebook, and biologically in swarms. Such system furthermore interact with human beings via globalization which let us be totally immerse in a universe never possible before.

This is a broad brush talk given by Professor John Baras of the University of Maryland at Harvard-SEAS on 4/5/2019 which I attended. In fact, I think the shorthand should be NET-CPHS to emphasize the fact interaction with and of humans in such systems are of paramount importance. 

Because of the multitude of topics covered I was not able to completely follow some of the issues. Using disconnected bullet points I provide below the issues he covered with or without explanation. 

But you can and should always contact the author 

baras@isr.umd.edu

or his website

 http://dev-baras.patheonsite.io/ 

for more details. 

• One characterization the author used to describe NET-CPHS is a Collaborative Autonomy (i.e. a many person nonzero sum game where the game tree is represented by connected and weighted graphs/nodes 

• As deference to me in the audience, the author mentioned research on “Perturbation Analysis” in globalized networks 

• Graphs are multi-layered and co-evolving with distributed agents, information, and communications.

• In particular he single out two terminology “small world graph” and “expander graph (which are locally rich but globally fast)” as important graph-theoretic concepts for study. 

• Examples are “platoon of automobiles on highways”, “turbine network of a wind farm”, and “formation control in flying birds and animal swarms” .

• “Learning rules”, “System properties”, and “Equilibriums” are objects of research in NET-CPHS. 

• He mentioned Myerson of Noble fame (http://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-1565-9030.html ) and his concept of “constrained coalitional games”  as relevant models for NET-CPHS 

• He emphasized TRUST as an important mechanism in NET-CPHS 

    o Is TRUST transitive from node to node? 

    o How do you propagate TRUST 

    o How do you reach consensus with TRUST? 

    o How do you attack or defend TRUST when there are adversaries in the system? 

• The role psychology plays in the analysis and design of such systems.