A system comprising: a high-level controller; a low-level controller in communication with the high-level controller via a network through a network connection, the low-level controller being configured to: receive high-level control references from the high-level controller via the network connection; generate low-level control references for a hardware asset based at least in part on the high-level control references; and facilitate control of the hardware asset in response to an error in the network connection; and a health monitoring module configured to: monitor the network connection by incrementing and communicating a counter back and forth between the low-level controller and the high-level controller as a heartbeat signal on every cycle; detect the error in the network connection if the heartbeat signal is absent, wherein the heartbeat signal is absent when the counter is not seen as having incremented by either the low-level controller or the high-level controller; in response to the detection of the error in the network connection, transfer a control of the hardware asset to the low-level controller; determine that the network connection has been restored if the heartbeat signal is present, wherein the heartbeat signal is present when the counter is seen as having incremented by either the low-level controller or the high-level controller; and in response to the determination that the network connection has been restored, transfer the control of the hardware asset to the high-level controller. a high-level controller; a low-level controller in communication with the high-level controller via a network through a network connection, the low-level controller being configured to: receive high-level control references from the high-level controller via the network connection; generate low-level control references for a hardware asset based at least in part on the high-level control references; and facilitate control of the hardware asset in response to an error in the network connection; and receive high-level control references from the high-level controller via the network connection; generate low-level control references for a hardware asset based at least in part on the high-level control references; and facilitate control of the hardware asset in response to an error in the network connection; and a health monitoring module configured to: monitor the network connection by incrementing and communicating a counter back and forth between the low-level controller and the high-level controller as a heartbeat signal on every cycle; detect the error in the network connection if the heartbeat signal is absent, wherein the heartbeat signal is absent when the counter is not seen as having incremented by either the low-level controller or the high-level controller; in response to the detection of the error in the network connection, transfer a control of the hardware asset to the low-level controller; determine that the network connection has been restored if the heartbeat signal is present, wherein the heartbeat signal is present when the counter is seen as having incremented by either the low-level controller or the high-level controller; and in response to the determination that the network connection has been restored, transfer the control of the hardware asset to the high-level controller. monitor the network connection by incrementing and communicating a counter back and forth between the low-level controller and the high-level controller as a heartbeat signal on every cycle; detect the error in the network connection if the heartbeat signal is absent, wherein the heartbeat signal is absent when the counter is not seen as having incremented by either the low-level controller or the high-level controller; in response to the detection of the error in the network connection, transfer a control of the hardware asset to the low-level controller; determine that the network connection has been restored if the heartbeat signal is present, wherein the heartbeat signal is present when the counter is seen as having incremented by either the low-level controller or the high-level controller; and in response to the determination that the network connection has been restored, transfer the control of the hardware asset to the high-level controller.