Cyber Physical Systems (CPS)

Source: PIB
GS III: Science and Technology- Developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Achievements of Indians in science & technology; Awareness in the fields of IT, computers, robotics, etc.

Why in the News?

The PIB highlighted India’s efforts to build an indigenous Cyber Physical Systems ecosystem through the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS).

News in Brief

• The National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS), implemented by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), was approved in 2018 with an outlay of ₹3,660 crore for nine years.
• Under NM-ICPS, 25 Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) have been established, while four high-performing TIHs were supported as Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRPs) in 2025 to accelerate technology translation and commercialisation.
• As of August 2026, the Mission has enabled 1,146 technologies, 1,329 technology products, 5,824 fellowships and 1,136 start-ups/spin-offs, while training more than 2.46 lakh professionals and establishing 200 international collaborations.

What is Cyber Physical Systems (CPS)?

• Cyber Physical Systems represents the convergence of the physical and digital worlds, enabling machines to sense, analyze and respond intelligently.
  • CPS connects physical systems with sensors, software, computing technologies and communication networks.
  • It enables real-time monitoring, data processing and automated responses to changing conditions.
  • Examples: driverless cars, smart factories, medical monitoring devices, smart buildings, cleaning robots and fitness trackers.
  • At its core, CPS integrates computation, communication and physical processes to create intelligent, connected and responsive systems.

Government of India’s CPS Initiatives

• The Department of Science and Technology (DST) is implementing the National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems (NM-ICPS) to strengthen India’s indigenous capabilities in CPS.
• The Union Cabinet approved NM-ICPS in 2018 with an outlay of ₹3,660 crore for nine years.
• It provides a national framework for CPS research, innovation and applications across priority sectors.
• The Mission brings together academia, industry, government and international organisations, covering the innovation cycle from R&D and translational research to product development and start-up incubation.
• NM-ICPS focuses on developing national-priority technologies, core competencies and specialised talent, while establishing interdisciplinary Centres of Excellence for advanced research, technology development and policy inputs.
• Overall, the Mission aims to build indigenous CPS solutions for critical national challenges and strengthen India’s technology-driven, research and innovation ecosystem.

From Technology Development to Technology Translation

• The NM-ICPS is increasingly focusing on moving technologies from research to deployment and commercialization.
• In 2025, four high-performing Technology Innovation Hubs (TIHs) were supported as Technology Translation Research Parks (TTRPs),
  • IIT Kanpur – Cybersecurity
  • IISc Bengaluru – Robotics and AI Systems
  • IIT (ISM) Dhanbad – Mining Technologies
  • IIT Indore – Digital Healthcare
• The TTRPs aim to accelerate technology translation and commercialisation.

Building Technology, Talent and Enterprise

• The Mission has enabled several technologies and supported intellectual property creation, licensing and technology products across sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, mining, cybersecurity, communication and positioning.
• Human resource development and skill enhancement remain key pillars of this ecosystem.
• The CHANAKYA (Comprehensive and Holistic Advancement of National Knowledge Yield and Analytics) Fellowship Programme supports undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD and postdoctoral researchers.
  • It funds projects addressing real-world CPS challenges through specialised Technology Innovation Hubs.
• The Mission promotes entrepreneurship and commercialisation by incubating start-ups and spin-offs based on research-driven innovations, thereby generating employment opportunities.
• International collaborations have strengthened India’s CPS capabilities and expanded cooperation in this emerging technology domain.
• The growing network of TIHs and TTRPs is strengthening India’s CPS ecosystem across research, skills, entrepreneurship and industry.
• NM-ICPS is accelerating the journey from innovation to deployment and building indigenous solutions for national priorities.

BharatGen and CPS

• As Cyber Physical Systems become more advanced, AI is playing an important role in connecting machines, people and physical environments.
• BharatGen, supported under NM-ICPS, is developing sovereign AI solutions suited to Indian languages and needs.
  • BharatGen is led by IIT Bombay along with a group of academic institutions and works on text, speech and vision-language technologies.
  • Its Param-2 foundation model supports all 22 Scheduled Indian languages.
  • Shrutam provides speech-to-text and Sooktam provides text-to-speech capabilities in Indian languages, while Patram, under the DocBodh framework, helps users access complex documents in multiple languages.
  • It has also developed sector-specific models such as Ayur Param for Ayurveda, Agri Param for agriculture and Legal Param for the legal sector.

Applications of CPS

Conclusion

Cyber Physical Systems can play an important role in building smarter infrastructure and better public services.Through NM-ICPS, India is developing indigenous technologies across healthcare, agriculture, mining, communication, cybersecurity and mobility.

Going forward, stronger academia–industry partnerships, skilled talent, start-ups and international collaborations can help expand India’s capabilities in emerging technologies. Wider adoption of indigenous CPS can improve services, create economic opportunities and strengthen technology-driven and self-reliant Viksit Bharat.

UPSC Prelims and Mains Practice Question

Consider the following statements regarding Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) and NM-ICPS:

1. Cyber-Physical Systems integrate computation, communication and physical processes.
2. The National Mission on Interdisciplinary Cyber-Physical Systems is implemented by the Department of Science and Technology.
3. BharatGen is being developed under NM-ICPS to provide sovereign AI capabilities suited to Indian languages and contexts.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3

Mains Practice Question

Q. Discuss the potential of Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) in transforming key sectors of the Indian economy. Also examine the role of NM-ICPS in promoting indigenous technological capabilities. (250 words)

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