Past Event: Oden Institute Seminar

Formal Methods for Safety-Critical Control

Calin Belta, Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Systems Engineering and Director of Robotics Lab, at Boston University.

Abstract

In control theory, complicated dynamics such as systems of (nonlinear) differential equations are mostly controlled to achieve stability.  In formal synthesis, simple systems such as finite state transition graphs modeling computer programs or digital circuits are controlled from specifications such as safety, liveness, or richer requirements expressed as formulas of temporal logics. With the development and integration of cyber physical and safety critical systems, there is an increasing need for computational tools for controlling complex systems from rich, temporal logic specifications. In this talk, I will first focus on systems with known dynamics, for which I will present partition-based and optimization-based approaches. I will then show how formal methods can be combined with machine learning techniques to control systems with partially known or unknown dynamics.

This seminar is hosted by the Center for Autonomy.

Biography

Calin Belta is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Systems Engineering at Boston University, where he holds the Tegan family Distinguished Faculty Fellowship. He is the Director of the BU Robotics Lab. His research focuses on dynamics and control theory, with particular emphasis on cyber-physical systems, formal methods, and applications to robotics and systems biology. Notable awards include the  2008 AFOSR Young Investigator Award, the 2005 National Science Foundation CAREER Award, and the 2017 IEEE TCNS Outstanding Paper Award. He is a Fellow of the IEEE and a Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE CSS.