Project description
Learning to control with highly innovative techniques
Automated systems are present in a wide range of processes, from smart grids to self-driving cars, and the Industry 4.0. They provide assistance in the dynamical control of these time-evolving systems. A constant challenge is to provide the best economic, robust, and efficient solutions for these real-world changing issues. The complexity of these systems makes them difficult to control, especially in the most critical areas with safety-critical constraints. A promising way to control these complex systems is by discretising the different variables and transforming the model into a simple combinatorial problem on a finite-state automaton. But this approach is not yet accepted by scientists. The EU-funded L2C is a multidisciplinary project at the boundary between control engineering, computer science and applied mathematics aiming to interconnect highly innovative techniques in order to transform the above-mentioned idea into the state-of-the-art control approach for the complex systems of tomorrow.
Objective
The engineered systems surrounding us are increasingly hard to control. Not only the complicated interaction of the physical processes with the machines that control them, but also specifications (cyber-security, safety, privacy, resilience, resource-efficiency, decentralization) are more and more complex, and critical. Last but not least, in an increasing number of situations, no model of the system is available (or the model is too complex), and one needs to ‘learn’ the optimal way of controlling the system by the mere observation of data. Our technological world is living a paradigm shift, which is often coined as the Cyber-Physical Revolution, or the Industry 4.0.
In view of these specificities, the only sensible way of controlling these complex systems is often by discretizing the different variables, thus transforming the model into a simple combinatorial problem on a finite-state automaton, called an abstraction of this system. Until now, this approach has not been proved useful beyond academic, small examples, as it scales very poorly.
The goal of L2C is to transform this approach into an effective, scalable, cutting-edge technology that will address the CPS challenges and unlock their potential. This ambitious goal will be achieved by leveraging powerful tools from Mathematical Engineering. Out of this research, a state-of-the-art software platform will promote our results and translate them into directly usable solutions for the scientific and industrial communities.
L2C is a pluridisciplinary project at the frontier between Control Engineering, Computer Science and Applied Mathematics. It bridges the gap between rich innovative techniques and emerging challenges in Control. It impacts both fundamental Science and Engineering, as the theoretical research is driven and fostered by cutting edge technological challenges.
Fields of science
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencessoftware
- social sciencespolitical sciencespolitical transitionsrevolutions
- natural sciencesmathematics
- natural sciencescomputer and information sciencescomputer security
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcontrol engineering
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantHost institution
1348 Louvain La Neuve
Belgium