Article by K. Vairavan on Goals and Origin of CSI

The Connected Systems Institue

K. Vairavan
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

In this article we outline the general features and goals of a new research and training entity at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM), called the Connected System Institute (CSI). The CSI addresses technical and business issues in a growing area of interest known as the “Internet of Things” (IoT) as they pertain to the manufacturing industry. Milwaukee is a major American manufacturing hub, housing many small and large companies such as Rockwell Automation, Johnson Controls, GE Healthcare, Eaton Corporation and A.O. Smith. Further, the faculty and students at UWM are engaged in research and academic programs that encompass many domains of vital interest to the manufacturing industry including business intelligence, industrial engineering, and related computer science and computing areas. Faculty research interests also span areas related to IoT such as AI, Data Analytics, Networks and Information Security. Thus UWM is an ideal home for the CSI.

CSI Origin:

The origin of the CSI can be traced to a 2016 visit to the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Washington by UWM Chancellor Mark Mone, and Vice Chancellor Patricia Borger and me for a meeting with Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft. (Nadella is an alumnus of the graduate Computer Science Program at UWM.) At the Redmond meeting, Nadella identified a number of areas for possible collaboration between Microsoft and UWM. One of them was in the area of IoT. He was well aware of the many opportunities in Milwaukee for such a collaborative effort and mentioned other companies that could join in such an effort. He later identified senior Microsoft executives with whom UWM faculty and administrative leaders could pursue these collaborations. Independently, UWM’s Lubar School of Business faculty and administrative leaders from Rockwell Automation had also been exploring collaborative educational programs in the related areas of business intelligence and supply chain management in manufacturing.

The CSI is the result of the above discussions. Besides Microsoft and Rockwell Automation, several other organizations have joined as partners in the development of the CSI. These include the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, A.O. Smith, Eaton Corporation and ANSYS ( a Pennsylvania based leading company specializing in the development of engineering simulation software). Discussions are underway with additional organizations for their participation.

Industrial IoT(IIoT):

CSI’s immediate focus is in industrial IoT, and specifically in manufacturing. The explosive growth in the number of devices–”things”– ( that include smart sensors in homes and in complex industrial systems, and computing and communication systems) connected to the internet has opened up great possibilities for cost savings as well as efficient and reliable operations of systems. Although estimates of the number of connected devices worldwide vary, many estimates place this number around 75 billion by the year 2025, when IIoT is predicted to have a $4.6 trillion economic impact. Thus, IIoT is destined to have a huge influence on our lives and the world economy. In the context of manufacturing, one can envision such devices being embedded in equipment on the factory floor and in installed systems after manufacture. These devices can monitor and share valuable information on a continuing basis that the management, engineers and machine operators will find very useful. An example is a Microsoft Azure cloud based IoT application that will allow over a million elevators—manufactured by the German firm,ThyssenKrupp Elevator– in over 900 locations worldwide to be continually monitored for performance. In this application, “things” are the thousands of sensors and systems in elevators that monitor everything from “motor temperature, to shaft alignment, cab speed and door functioning”. Through predictive, rather than corrective maintenance, this application can lead to obvious payoffs in improved performance, reliability and cost savings.

Main CSI Features and Functions:

Initially, the CSI at UWM is a research and training entity for manufacturing applications of IIoT. The institute will feature physical test beds for research and development projects as well as training programs. The test facilities will give industry partners the means of experimental validation using different views of the IIoT space. Models developed will enable the collection of huge amounts of data pulled from many sources to obtain specific and useful information. One of the test beds will enable the creation of a calibrated “digital twin” to operate in parallel with an actual manufacturing plant and use members’ data for predictive maintenance and asset management optimization. These test facilities will be operational in Spring 2019.

In the words of Sam George, the Director of Azure IoT at Microsoft, “ IoT is fast becoming a key strategy for companies of all sizes, yet there exists a gap in cloud skills and training to develop connected solutions. The Connected Systems Institute helps bridge that gap by combining advanced research with training for the next wave of innovation with IoT.” Blake Moret, the President and CEO of Rockwell Automation, another founding CSI partner, is equally enthusiastic saying, “ The CSI is a multidisciplinary program that will enable students to learn skills not only in technology but also in business, and the breadth of courses and research at UWM makes it a perfect fit.”

Education is an important function of the CSI, and is not restricted to university students. An executive training program, called the Connected Systems Challenge, is already underway and is directed toward business executives. New courses are in place; industry-sponsored workshops and short courses were offered in early 2018; Additional programs are being developed and directed towards industry personnel and students. An interdisciplinary MS degree program and undergraduate and graduate certificate programs are also being planned.

The multidisciplinary efforts at CSI are directed by Adel Nasiri, Professor of Electrical Engineering with current participation by faculty from the Lubar School of Business and the College of Engineering and Applied Science. This important industry-university collaborative effort can help significantly advance the new and exciting frontier of IoT applications in industry and in other environments.

K. Vairavan is an Emeritus Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UWM. His B.E., MS and PhD degrees are respectively from the University of Madras, the George Washington University and the University of Notre Dame. At UWM, Vairavan served as the Chairman of the Computer Science Program and helped to develop it in its formative years. He also later served as the founding Co-Director of an interdisciplinary Doctoral Program in Biomedical Informatics. His research contributions span several areas in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Vairavan has guided numerous graduate students who now work in many parts of the world.