(l to r) Carla Zoltowski, Associate Professor of Engineering Practice, Shreyas Sundaram, Marie Gordon Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Saurabh Bagchi, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Timothy Cason, Distinguished Professor of Economics, , Aravind Machiry Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Somali Chaterji, Associate Professor of Agricultural & Biological Engineering

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, the importance of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) has skyrocketed. From smart grids to autonomous vehicles, CPS is transforming industries and daily life. However, these systems, which are typically made up of both hardware and software components, often suffer from a critical flaw: their individual elements are not inherently reliable or secure. This becomes especially concerning in high-stakes environments like connected and autonomous transportation, where a failure in reliability could have disastrous consequences. Enter CHORUS, a new NSF-funded research center that is dedicated to revolutionizing CPS resilience and ensuring safety, security, and reliability in the face of ever-evolving challenges.

The NSF Center is headquartered at Purdue with Saurabh Bagchi, Professor in the Elmore Family School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, leading it. Partner institutions are the University of Southern California, Georgia Tech, and University of Wisconsin at Madison. Purdue personnel are Timothy Cason, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Somali Chaterji, Associate Professor of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, Aravind Machiry Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Shreyas Sundaram, Marie Gordon Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Carla Zoltowski, Associate Professor of Engineering Practice.

"Different members of the team have complimentary expertise and now coming together as a team, we have the springboard to solve this challenge of large-scale resilient CPS,” said Bagchi. “It feels like an opportune moment to launch this first NSF CISE Center headquartered at Purdue."

Tackling the Reliability Problem

The central challenge that CHORUS addresses is how to construct highly dependable CPS applications from components that, on their own, are not inherently reliable or secure. To solve this problem, CHORUS brings together researchers and industry experts to develop scientific mechanisms that enhance CPS resilience. Their chosen application domain, Connected and Autonomous Transportation Systems (CATS), is one of the most complex and rapidly evolving fields in CPS today. By focusing on CATS, CHORUS aims to demonstrate the benefits of its research in a domain where safety and security are paramount.

Three Pillars of Innovation

CHORUS' ambitious goals will be achieved through three interconnected research thrusts:

1. Modeling: System, Adversaries, Defenders 

To improve CPS resilience, the first step is to develop accurate models of the systems, potential adversaries, and defense mechanisms. This involves creating comprehensive frameworks that can account for various vulnerabilities and threats and provide insight into how CPS can respond to perturbations, whether accidental or malicious. This modeling should also incorporate economic and policy factors.

2. Proactive Planning and Deployment

The second thrust focuses on taking preemptive steps to ensure resilience. This involves developing strategies to anticipate disruptions and deploying countermeasures before vulnerabilities can be exploited. By incorporating proactive defense mechanisms, CPS can better withstand unforeseen challenges.

3. Runtime Distributed Detection and Response

Even the best-laid plans need real-time adjustments. This third research thrust concentrates on detecting and responding to threats as they emerge. By leveraging distributed detection systems, CHORUS aims to create CPS that can autonomously respond to threats and minimize disruption without requiring centralized control.

Broader Impacts: Trust, Policy, and Education

CHORUS is poised to make a significant impact not only in CPS technology but also in broader society. One of the key outcomes of the project will be an increased level of trust in CPS operations. By developing reliable systems, CPS owners—ranging from corporations to government agencies—will gain confidence in the safety and security of their systems.

Equally important, CHORUS will inform policymakers about the level of cooperation necessary among various CPS stakeholders. As CPS systems span multiple organizations and sectors, the research center will help shape policies that incentivize collaboration, ensuring that CPS is protected on all fronts.

Real-World Demonstrations and Educational Initiatives

A core element of CHORUS' mission is to prove the effectiveness of its innovations in real-world scenarios. The center will create compelling demonstrations on a connected vehicle testbed, in collaboration with academic partners and industry partner General Motors. These demonstrations will highlight CHORUS' contributions to improving safety and security in autonomous and connected vehicles. Through its partnership with Indiana Department of Transportation, CHORUS seeks to affect policy in this space.

In addition to its technological advancements, CHORUS is deeply committed to education and outreach. The center will organize an annual student security competition, challenging the next generation of engineers to tackle CPS vulnerabilities. To further expand its educational reach, CHORUS will also develop two massive open online courses (MOOCs). The first will provide foundational material on resilient CPS, while the second will focus specifically on the CATS application domain, ensuring that students and professionals alike can benefit from the cutting-edge research being conducted at the center.

A New Era of Resilience

As CPS becomes more embedded in modern life, ensuring its reliability, security, and safety is a growing priority. CHORUS is at the forefront of this mission, pioneering innovative solutions that will revolutionize the field. With its interdisciplinary approach, focus on real-world applications, and commitment to education, CHORUS promises to be a game-changer for CPS resilience. Through the work of this NSF center, the future of connected and autonomous transportation—and other CPS applications—will be safer, more secure, and more reliable than ever before.

The kickoff workshop for CHORUS will happen at Purdue University on November 20-21.