Foundations of Cyber-Physical Systems

In our increasingly connected world, smart devices must seamlessly bridge the gap between physical hardware and digital control. Understanding how to build reliable cyber-physical systems (CPS) is essential for modern engineering, robotics, and industrial automation. This course provides a clear pathway to mastering the intersection of software algorithms, network communication, and physical dynamics. You will transition from a beginner to a confident designer of smart systems, learning how to model real-world behaviors and write software that safely interacts with physical environments. We start with foundational definitions, terminology, and the core principles of hybrid systems before moving into practical design patterns. What you'll learn: - Understand the core architecture and components of cyber-physical systems - Model continuous physical processes using differential equations and discrete state machines - Apply modern real-time scheduling algorithms to guarantee software execution safety - Design feedback control loops that stabilize physical systems through digital controllers - Analyze system security, safety-critical constraints, and basic threat modeling for CPS - Explore modern communication protocols and network constraints affecting smart grids and robotics This course begins with basic terminology, guiding you step-by-step through mathematical modeling, control theory, and real-time computation. It is designed for beginners, students, and engineers looking to enter the field of smart automation, with no advanced prerequisites required. Start reading today to build the foundation for tomorrow's intelligent infrastructure.