Dr. Walid Saad presented a tutorial on Game-Theoretic Methods for Cyber-Physical Systems at the premier event on Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS Week)

Cyber-physical systems are characterized by four key features:

• Heterogeneity, in terms of technology and services.

• Dynamics, in terms of rapidly varying environments and uncertainty at both the cyber and physical realms.

• Size, in terms of number of users, nodes, and services.

• Cyber-physical vulnerabilities, that can stem from multiple cyber and physical entry points.

The need for smart, secure, and autonomic CPS system designs has become a central research issue in a variety of applications and scenarios. One example is next-generation smart grid systems in which a myriad of devices such as renewable energy sources, customer-owned storage units, and traditional generator units must be able to interact, co-exist, and self-adapt to uncertainties and time-varying environments. Another example is the Internet of things system, which will encompass a broad range of devices, of different capabilities, that must interact, operate, and control various cyber and physical operations. Incorporating self-organizing optimization capabilities along with smarter security solutions in heterogeneous CPSs motivates the development of innovative analytical techniques.

In this respect, game theory is expected to play a critical role towards deploying intelligent, distributed, and flexible cyber-physical systems in which devices, and possibly humans, can make independent and rational strategic decisions, smartly adapting to their environment. To this end, this tutorial will focus on the confluence of seemingly disparate disciplines: game theory, economics, and cyber-physical systems; while presenting the state of the art in this interdisciplinary area. In particular, this tutorial will provide a comprehensive introduction to game theory in its two branches: non-cooperative and cooperative games, as it applies to the design of future cyberphysical systems. We will also discuss new emerging types of games suitable for CPS, such as the use of games with bounded rationality and the impact of CPS user behavior on game-theoretic analysis. For each type of games, we present the fundamental components, introduce the key properties, mathematical techniques, solution concepts, and we describe the challenges and methods for applying game theory in two emerging CPS fields:

1. The design and analysis of energy management solutions for the smart grid.

2. The development of innovative security solutions for thwarting a variety of threats that target large-scale cyber-physical systems.

The tutorial concludes by shedding some light on future opportunities and challenges in this area.

Speaker: