Design of efficient error resilience in signal processing and control systems: From algorithms to circuits

The proliferation of cyber physical systems in society, from the smart grid to sensor networks and robots has raised the importance of error resilience in signal processing and control systems to unprecedented levels. Resilience to errors in sensing and control algorithm execution in processors all the way down to circuits for sensing and actuation is of critical importance in safety-critical applications where undetected errors can have disastrous consequences. In this presentation, we describe how ideas in the domain of algorithm-based fault tolerance developed in the mid-80s for signal processing and matrix computations can be applied to a vast domain of circuits and systems in electrical engineering; from digital and analog filters to complex nonlinear autonomous control systems. The key insight is that electrical systems can be fundamentally represented by linear and nonlinear differential equations with equivalent matrix representations. These representations can be encoded with extra check states that bear a known relationship with all the observable states of the system independent of the system driving inputs. By checking for the validity of this relationship, errors can be detected and mitigated in real-time with near-zero latency with minimal hardware overhead. The broad vision of the proposed methodology is illustrated with examples from different electrical engineering domains.