A cyber-physical system (CPS) is a mechanism that connects the real world (physical components) and computers (cyber space) through IT technologies, in order to create values that are beneficial in the real world. A CPS represents a cycle of collecting real world data via sensors, etc., analyzing the collected information by computers, and utilizing the information and value generated from the analysis results in the real world.
The CPS is increasingly applied in a variety of social scenes, such as clearing of traffic jams by collecting traffic information from vehicle-mounted devices and automatic control of the agricultural environment by monitoring temperature and moisture. Given the fact of recent years that the data volume computers can handle have increased explosively and the sensors used to collect the real world data have become inexpensive, the CPS is expected to be applied in more diversified areas including social infrastructures.
