2011 18th IEEE International Conference and Workshops on Engineering of Computer-Based Systems

Medical Cyber-Physical Systems

Oleg Sokolsky
Computer and Information Science
University of Pennsylvania

Abstract—We discuss current trends in the development and Oleg Sokolsky is a Research Associate Professor
use of high-confidence medical cyber-physical systems (MCPS). of Computer and Information Science at the Univer-
These trends, including increased reliance on software to deliver sity of Pennsylvania. His research interests include
new functionality, wider use of network connectivity in MCPS, modeling and analysis of real-time embedded and
and demand for continuous patient monitoring, bring new cyber-physical systems, runtime verification, high-
confidence software development, and trust man-
challenges into the process of MCPS development and at the same agement. He earned his Ph.D. degree in Computer
time create new opportunities for research and development. We Science from Stony Brook University in 1996.
use several recent and on-going projects to illustrate the diverse
challenges presented by MCPS design and highlight possible
future research directions.
The projects address a wide range of problems, representative
of the diverse MCPS area. Design of high-confidence software
for individual medical devices, such as infusion pumps and
vital sign monitors, is an important pre-requisite for building
larger systems. Interoperability of medical devices is another
requirement. It should be based on precisely specified information
exchange protocols and trusted middleware. In order to reason
about safety of medical devices systems constructed using these
two building blocks, we also need to specify clinical scenarios in
which the system is going to be used. Evidence-based certification
of safety-critical devices is critical for the regulatory approval
of complex MCPS. Finally, modeling of patient physiology and
decision-making based on the monitoring of multiple vital sign
streams are the basis for physiological closed-loop control systems
that require tying together all aspects of MCPS design described
above.

978-0-7695-4379-6/11 $26.00 © 2011 IEEE 2

DOI 10.1109/ECBS.2011.40

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