Application Development Framework for Developing Cyber-Physical Systems

Cyber-physical systems have recently moved closer to reality, thanks to the proliferation of smart objects such as smoke detectors, air pollution monitors, and communication-enabled cars. These smart objects sense the physical world via sensors, affect the physical world via actuators, and interact with users when necessary. In effect, they capture data from the physical world and communicate it to the cyber space for further processing. Cyber-physical systems are pervasive and can be found in many application domains. For example, a building interacts with its residents and surrounding buildings in case of fire for safety and security of residents [1], offices adjust themselves automatically to user preferences while minimizing energy consumption [2], traffic signals control the influx of vehicles according to the current highway status [3,4], or an industrial control system monitors the local environment for alarm conditions and controls local operations such as opening and closing valves and breakers [5].