Beyond advanced mechatronics: New design challenges of social-cyber-physical systems

In the last two decades, an intense shift Irom advanced mechatronics systems to cyberphysical systems is taking place. The former systems, which integrate mechanical, electronics, computing, control and situated reasoning components, are typically implemented as closed, predefined, controlled, and deterministic systems. The latter systems are characterized by open system boundaries, large functional and structural complexities, self-learning and -reasoning capabilities, partial autonomy, context-driven adaptability, and decentralized decision making. As the latest trend, they are getting more extensively embedded in the fabric of society. First, the episodes of the observable physical, biological, social and technological evolution are overviewed from the aspect of the place and role of information. Then, the distinguishing characteristics of cyberphysical systems are analyzed and the currently on-going transition to social-cyberphysical systems is dealt with. Finally, the paper discusses nine major design challenges raised by the social-cyber-physical system paradigm. As major design challenges: (i) handling aggregative complexity, (ii) static and dynamic compositional synergy, (iii) dynamic and evolutionary operation in time, (iv) multi-abstraction based modeling, (v) system integrity verification and behavior validation, (vi) dynamic scalability towards meta-systems, (vii) transformation of big data, (viii) testable surrogate prototyping, and (ix) robust social compliance are discussed. I f we want to address these challenges successfully, then new design principles and system design methodologies need to be developed. The main propositions are that there is an urgent need to intensify multidisciplinary research in this novel domain of interest, and that new pre-implementation demonstration, prototyping and empirical testing methodologies are also needed