Social networks are social communities linked over the internet facilitated by digital media. Cyber-physical systems are engineered sensor-actuator systems that connect the cyber and physical worlds. At the intersection of these two are the “social cyber-physical systems” which will be the emphasis of this centre.

SeSaMe Research Centre focus on long-term research on sensor-enhanced social media that enables linking of static and mobile cyber-physical environments over the Internet by the abstraction of sensing, processing, transportation and presentation and to enable the design of social media applications on cyber-physical systems through research advances that will transform the world by providing systems that respond more quickly (for example, through the use of interactive interfaces), are more precisely (for example, through the use of sensor/actuator-enhanced instruments), work in dangerous or inaccessible environments (for example, through the use of autonomous systems for search and rescue, monitoring, and exploration), provide large-scale, distributed coordination (for example, through the use of sensor-based health/disaster monitoring and response), are highly efficient (for example, through the use of smart buildings), augment human capabilities, and enhance societal wellbeing (e.g., assistive technologies and sensor-enhanced social networks).