The Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) programme has been launched by the Department of Science & Technology (DST), which will be dealing with autonomous unmanned vehicles, self-driven cars, and aircraft navigation systems. A budget of Rs. 3,000-crore has been set for the programme, which will start with development of centres of excellence at the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).
Brief About Cyber Physical Systems (CPS)
CPS deals with computer-based systems’ deployment that work in the physical world. Self-driven cars from Tesla and Google are examples of CPS. They are monitored by computer-based algorithms or in other words we can say they are mechanism controlled or are tightly integrated with the internet and its users.
CPS comprises transdisciplinary methodologies, which is an amalgamation of theory of cybernetics, mechatronics, and design & process science. Both software and physical components are intensely intertwined in it. Each component operates on different temporal and spatial scales.
Also, both physical and software components exhibit distinct and multiple behavioural modalities. They also interact with each other in innumerable ways, which changes with the context.
What is Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) Initiative and Why it’s Needed:
The CPS programme aims to bring improvements in academia, by encouraging larger synergy between the industry and university scientists. It includes development of centres of excellence at the IITs and other Indian universities. Additionally, there will be introduction of dedicated courses on the subject.
Wondering why CPS is needed? Find you answer here. CPS is one of its kind technological evolutionary area, which needed attention as it can bring unprecedented challenges and has the potential to stresses demographic dividend of the country. However, it can be used to make future workforce of the nation skilled in digital manufacturing, robotics, big data analysis, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things (IoTs), and quantum communication.
CPS has been identified as an important area of inter-disciplinary research, by the U.S. National Science Foundation in the year 2003. This shows how late India is in realizing the potential of this technology. But, better late than never, the nation has entered the field.
