UPBOT: A Testbed for Cyber-Physical Systems

Developing software for cyber-physical systems presents a unique challenge. These systems are not simply software; they are composed of software running on a collection of machines that present a risk to human safety if anything goes wrong. Researchers want to create languages and tools that aid in the development of secure and fault-tolerant software, but they cannot simply “try out” their ideas on a fighter jet. This paper describes our modest UPBOT testbed. Pronounced yoō-pē-bät, it has three features that aptly comprise a cyber-physical system: networked control, enforceable physical properties, and off-the-shelf components. We offer that UPBOT can be used to effectively test security threats and defenses against cyber-physical systems; it presents multiple points of attack on a programmable, component-based system whose on-board intelligence may maintain safety-critical properties despite malicious attack. Given its low cost and low barrier to entry it may be especially useful to: i) undergraduates interested in learning about the domain; ii) researchers who lack access to oft-unavailable real systems but want to evaluate their solutions for cyber-physical systems.