Abstract
Control as a Service (CaaS) is an emerging paradigm where low-level control of a machine (e.g., CNC) is moved from a local computer on the machine to a remote computer in the cloud, from where it is provided to the machine as an on-demand service over the internet. A machine with access to CaaS can, therefore, leverage the vast computational resources available in the cloud to run advanced control algorithms that boost its performance at low cost. CaaS also facilitates easy upgrades to the control system of a machine and enables it to become more “intelligent” by leveraging data sharing and analytics. However, CaaS raises a critical question of how to safely and reliably perform (hard) real-time control of a machine over unreliable internet connections. The field of Networked Control Systems has studied this problem for decades but has focused heavily on feedback control and stability. Conversely, CaaS is open to exploiting the immense benefits of feedforward control and techniques used by video streaming services like Netflix to deliver content satisfactorily over the internet. Is it trivial or naïve to control a powerful manufacturing machine with inertia as one would a smart phone streaming a Netflix movie? What about increased exposure to cyber threats? I will share my thoughts on these questions along with some early results gathered on a 3D printer, and I am curious to hear your thoughts.

Bio
Chinedum Okwudire is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and, starting January 2019, the Associate Chair for Integrative Systems and Design (ISD) at the University of Michigan. Prior to joining Michigan, he was the mechatronic systems optimization team leader at DMG Mori USA. His research is focused on exploiting knowledge at the intersection of machine design, control and, more-recently, computer science, to boost the performance of automation systems at low cost. Chinedum has received a number of awards including the CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation; the Young Investigator Award from the International Symposium on Flexible Automation; the Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers; the Ralph Teetor Educational Award from SAE International; the Department Achievement Award from the Mechanical Engineering Department, University of Michigan; and the Russell Severance Springer Visiting Professorship from UC Berkeley. He has co-authored a number best paper award winning papers at Precision Engineering and Dynamic Systems and Control Conferences. His recent work on boosting the speed of 3D printers at low cost through feedforward vibration compensation has been featured internationally in popular news media, including NASA Tech Briefs and Discovery Channel Canada.