This book covers the conventional and most recent theories and applications in the area of evolutionary algorithms, swarm intelligence, and meta-heuristics. Each chapter offers a comprehensive description of a specific algorithm, from the mathematical model to its practical application. Different kind of optimization problems are solved in this book, including those related to path planning, image processing, hand gesture detection, among others. All in all, the book offers a tutorial on how to design, adapt, and evaluate evolutionary algorithms. Source codes for most of the proposed techniques have been included as supplementary materials on a dedicated webpage.

This book provides readers with a solid set of diversified and essential tools for the theoretical modeling and control of complex robotic systems, as well as for digital human modeling and realistic motion generation. Following a comprehensive introduction to the fundamentals of robotic kinematics, dynamics and control systems design, the author extends robotic modeling procedures and motion algorithms to a much higher-dimensional, larger scale and more sophisticated research area, namely digital human modeling. Most of the methods are illustrated by MATLAB (TM) codes and sample graphical visualizations, offering a unique closed loop between conceptual understanding and visualization. Readers are guided through practicing and creating 3D graphics for robot arms as well as digital human models in MATLAB (TM), and through driving them for real-time animation. This work is intended to serve as a robotics textbook with an extension to digital human modeling for senior undergraduate and graduate engineering students. At the same time, it represents a comprehensive reference guide for all researchers, scientists and professionals eager to learn the fundamentals of robotic systems as well as the basic methods of digital human modeling and motion generation.

Praise for Previous Volumes
"This book will be a useful reference to control engineers and researchers. The papers contained cover well the recent advances in the field of modern control theory."
-IEEE GROUP CORRESPONDANCE
"This book will help all those researchers who valiantly try to keep abreast of what is new in the theory and practice of optimal control."
-CONTROL

Adaptive Control provides techniques for the automatic adjustment in real time of controller parameters. Their purpose is to achieve or maintain a desired level of system performance when process parameters are unknown or variable. Such techniques operate by extracting significative information from real data in order to tune the controller and they feature a mechanism for adjusting parameters. The book explores both established ideas and recent trends in the field of adaptive control. More specifically, the book covers synthesis and analysis of parameter adaptation algorithms, robust digital control and recursive digital control in open and closed loop. This book considers the problems and seeks to find answers using mathematical sequences.To guide the reader, the book contains various applications of adaptive control techniques.

With contributions by specialists in optimization and practitioners in the fields of aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, and fluid and solid mechanics, the major themes include an assessment of the state of the art in optimization algorithms as well as challenging applications in design and control, in the areas of process engineering and systems with partial differential equation models.

Soft computing, intelligent robotics and control are in the core interest of contemporary engineering. Essential characteristics of soft computing methods are the ability to handle vague information, to apply human-like reasoning, their learning capability and ease of application. Soft computing techniques are widely applied in the control of dynamic systems, including mobile robots. The present volume is a collection of 20 chapters written by respectable experts of the fields, addressing various theoretical and practical aspects in soft computing, intelligent robotics and control.

The first part of the book concerns with issues of intelligent robotics, including robust xed point transformation design, experimental verification of the input-output feedback linearization of differentially driven mobile robot and applying kinematic synthesis to micro electro-mechanical systems design.

The second part of the book is devoted to fundamental aspects of soft computing. This includes practical aspects of fuzzy rule interpolation, subjective weights based meta learning in multi criteria decision making, swarm-based heuristics for an area exploration and knowledge driven adaptive product representations.

The last part addresses different problems, issues and methods of applied mathematics. This includes perturbation estimates for invariant subspaces of Hessenberg matrices, uncertainty and nonlinearity modelling by probabilistic metric spaces and comparison and visualization of the DNA of six primates.

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Chapter 3 Flexible Neural Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 3. 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 3. 2 Flexible Unipolar Sigmoid Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 3. 3 Flexible Bipolar Sigmoid Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 3. 4 Learning Algorithms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 3. 4. 1 Generalized learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 3. 4. 2 Specialized learning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 3. 5 Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 3. 6 Combinations of Flexible Artificial Neural Network Topologies . . . . 79 3. 7 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 Chapter 4 Self-Tuning PID Control 85 4. 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 4. 2 PID Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 4. 3 Flexible Neural Network as an Indirect Controller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 4. 4 Self-tunig PID Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 4. 5 Simulation Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 4. 5. 1 The Tank model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 4. 5. 2 Simulation study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 4. 5. 3 Simulation results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 4. 6 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Chapter 5 Self-Tuning Computed Torque Control: Part I 107 5. 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 5. 2 Manipulator Model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 5. 3 Computed Torque Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 5. 4 Self-tunig Computed Torque Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 5. 5 Simulation Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 5. 5. 1 Simultaneous learning of connection weights and SF para- ters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 5. 5. 2 Learning of the sigmoid function parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Vll 5. 5. 3 Simultaneous learning of SF parameters and output gains 129 5. 6 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 Chapter 6 Self-Tuning Computed Torque Control: Part II 137 6. 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 6. 2 Simplification of Flexible Neural Networks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 6. 3 Simulation Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 6. 3. 1 Simultaneous learning of connection weights and sigmoid function parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The creation of intelligent robots is surely one of the most exciting and ch- lenginggoals of Arti?cial Intelligence. A robot is, ?rst of all, nothing but an inanimate machine with motors and sensors. In order to bring life to it, the machine needs to be programmed so as to make active use of its hardware c- ponents. This turns a machine into an autonomous robot. Since about the mid nineties of the past century, robot programming has made impressive progress. State-of-the-art robots are able to orient themselves and move around freely in indoor environments or negotiate di?cult outdoor terrains, they can use stereo vision to recognize objects, and they are capable of simple object manipulation with the help of arti?cial extremities. At a time where robots perform these tasks more and more reliably, weare ready to pursue the next big step, which is to turn autonomous machines into reasoning robots.Areasoning robot exhibits higher cognitive capabilities like following complex and long-term strategies, making rational decisions on a high level, drawing logical conclusions from sensor information acquired over time, devising suitable plans, and reacting sensibly in unexpected situations. All of these capabilities are characteristics of human-like intelligence and ultimately distinguish truly intelligent robots from mere autonomous machines

Fractional order calculus is finding increasing interest in the control system community. Hardware realizations of fractional order controllers have sparked off a renewed zeal into the investigations of control system design in the light of fractional calculus. As such many notions of integer order LTI systems are being modified and extended to incorporate these new concepts. Computational Intelligence (CI) techniques have been applied to engineering problems to find solutions to many hitherto intractable conundrums and is a useful tool for dealing with problems of higher computational complexity. This book borders on the interface between CI techniques and fractional calculus, and looks at ways in which fractional order control systems may be designed or enhanced using CI based paradigms. To the best of the author's knowledge this is the first book of its kind exclusively dedicated to the application of computational intelligence techniques in fractional order systems and control. The book tries to assimilate various existing concepts in this nascent field of fractional order intelligent control and is aimed at researchers and post graduate students working in this field.

A predictive control algorithm uses a model of the controlled system to predict the system behavior for various input scenarios and determines the most appropriate inputs accordingly. Predictive controllers are suitable for a wide range of systems; therefore, their advantages are especially evident when dealing with relatively complex systems, such as nonlinear, constrained, hybrid, multivariate systems etc. However, designing a predictive control strategy for a complex system is generally a difficult task, because all relevant dynamical phenomena have to be considered. Establishing a suitable model of the system is an essential part of predictive control design. Classic modeling and identification approaches based on linear-systems theory are generally inappropriate for complex systems; hence, models that are able to appropriately consider complex dynamical properties have to be employed in a predictive control algorithm. This book first introduces some modeling frameworks, which can encompass the most frequently encountered complex dynamical phenomena and are practically applicable in the proposed predictive control approaches. Furthermore, unsupervised learning methods that can be used for complex-system identification are treated. Finally, several useful predictive control algorithms for complex systems are proposed and their particular advantages and drawbacks are discussed. The presented modeling, identification and control approaches are complemented by illustrative examples. The book is aimed towards researches and postgraduate students interested in modeling, identification and control, as well as towards control engineers needing practically usable advanced control methods for complex systems.

Precision Nanometrology describes the new field of precision nanometrology, which plays an important part in nanoscale manufacturing of semiconductors, optical elements, precision parts and similar items. It pays particular attention to the measurement of surface forms of precision workpieces and to stage motions of precision machines. The first half of the book is dedicated to the description of optical sensors for the measurement of angle and displacement, which are fundamental quantities for precision nanometrology. The second half presents a number of scanning-type measuring systems for surface forms and stage motions. The systems discussed include: * error separation algorithms and systems for measurement of straightness and roundness, * the measurement of micro-aspherics, * systems based on scanning probe microscopy, and * scanning image-sensor systems. Precision Nanometrology presents the fundamental and practical technologies of precision nanometrology with a helpful selection of algorithms, instruments and experimental data. It will be beneficial for researchers, engineers and postgraduate students involved in precision engineering, nanotechnology and manufacturing.

This volume offers eleven philosophical investigations into our future relations with social robots--robots that are specially designed to engage and connect with human beings. The contributors present cutting edge research that examines whether, and on which terms, robots can become members of human societies. Can our relations to robots be said to be "social"? Can robots enter into normative relationships with human beings? How will human social relations change when we interact with robots at work and at home? The authors of this volume explore these questions from the perspective of philosophy, cognitive science, psychology, and robotics. The first three chapters offer a taxonomy for the classification of simulated social interactions, investigate whether human social interactions with robots can be genuine, and discuss the significance of social relations for the formation of human individuality. Subsequent chapters clarify whether robots could be said to actually follow social norms, whether they could live up to the social meaning of care in caregiving professions, and how we will need to program robots so that they can negotiate the conventions of human social space and collaborate with humans. Can we perform joint actions with robots, where both sides need to honour commitments, and how will such new commitments and practices change our regional cultures? The authors connect research in social robotics and empirical studies in Human-Robot Interaction to recent debates in social ontology, social cognition, as well as ethics and philosophy of technology. The book is a response to the challenge that social robotics presents for our traditional conceptions of social interaction, which presuppose such essential capacities as consciousness, intentionality, agency, and normative understanding. The authors develop insightful answers along new interdisciplinary pathways in "robophilosophy," a new research area that will help us to shape the "robot revolution," the distinctive technological change of the beginning 21st century.

Service orientation is emerging nowadays at multiple organizational levels in enterprise business, and it leverages technology in response to the growing need for greater business integration, flexibility and agility of manufacturing enterprises.

The "Service Oriented Architecture" (SOA) analysed throughout the book represents a technical architecture, a business modelling concept, a type of infrastructure, an integration source and a new way of viewing units of automation within the enterprise. The primary goal of SOA is to align the "business world" with the world of "information technology" in a way that makes both more effective.

The service value creation model at enterprise level consists of using a Service Component Architecture for business process applications, based on entities which handle services. In this view a service is a piece of software encapsulating the business/control logic or resource functionality of an enterprise entity that exhibits an individual competence and responds to a specific request to fulfil a local (operation) or global objective (batch production). The value creation model is based on a 2-stage approach:

"Agentification" complex manufacturing processes are split in services provided by informational agents which are discovered, accessed and executed. This leads to a modular, reusable, agile and easy integrate integration.

"Holonification" holons link the material flow and physical entities of the manufacturing processes with the informational part (IT services realized by distributed intelligence) facilitating thus traceability the developing of flexible control systems.

This book gathers contributions from scientists, researchers and industrialists on concepts, methods, frameworks and implementing issues addressing trends in the "service orientation" of control technology and management applied to manufacturing enterprise.

This book gathers contributions from scientists, researchers and industrialists on concepts, methods, frameworks and implementing issues addressing trends in the "service orientation" of control technology and management applied to manufacturing enterprise. "

Inverse problems and optimal design have come of age as a consequence of the availability of better, more accurate, and more efficient simulation packages. Many of these simulators, which can run on small workstations, can capture the complicated behavior of the physical systems they are modeling, and have become commonplace tools in engineering and science. There is a great desire to use them as part of a process by which measured field data are analyzed or by which design of a product is automated. A major obstacle in doing precisely this is that one is ultimately confronted with a large-scale optimization problem. This volume contains expository articles on both inverse problems and design problems formulated as optimization. Each paper describes the physical problem in some detail and is meant to be accessible to researchers in optimization as well as those who work in applied areas where optimization is a key tool. What emerges in the presentations is that there are features about the problem that must be taken into account in posing the objective function, and in choosing an optimization strategy. In particular there are certain structures peculiar to the problems that deserve special treatment, and there is ample opportunity for parallel computation. THIS IS BACK COVER TEXT Inverse problems and optimal design have come of age as a consequence of the availability of better, more accurate, and more efficient, simulation packages. The problem of determining the parameters of a physical system from

The key attribute of a Fault Tolerant Control (FTC) system is its ability to maintain overall system stability and acceptable performance in the face of faults and failures within the feedback system. In this book Integral Sliding Mode (ISM) Control Allocation (CA) schemes for FTC are described, which have the potential to maintain close to nominal fault-free performance (for the entire system response), in the face of actuator faults and even complete failures of certain actuators. Broadly an ISM controller based around a model of the plant with the aim of creating a nonlinear fault tolerant feedback controller whose closed-loop performance is established during the design process. The second approach involves retro-fitting an ISM scheme to an existing feedback controller to introduce fault tolerance. This may be advantageous from an industrial perspective, because fault tolerance can be introduced without changing the existing control loops. A high fidelity benchmark model of a large transport aircraft is used to demonstrate the efficacy of the FTC schemes. In particular a scheme based on an LPV representation has been implemented and tested on a motion flight simulator.

This volume gathers the peer reviewed papers which were presented at the 5th edition of the International Workshop "Service Orientation in Holonic and Multi-agent Man-ufacturing - SOHOMA'15" organized in November 5-6, 2015 by the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) of the University of Cambridge, UK in collaboration with the CIMR Research Centre in Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Robotics of the University Politehnica of Bucharest, Romania, the LAMIH Laboratory of Industrial and Human Automation Control, Mechanical Engineering and Computer Science of the University of Valenciennes and Hainaut-Cambresis, France and the CRAN Re-search Centre for Automatic Control, Nancy of the University of Lorraine, France.The book is structured in seven parts, each one grouping a number of chapters de-scribing research in actual domains of the digital transformation in manufacturing and trends in future manufacturing control: (1) Applications of Intelligent Products; (2) Advances in Control of Physical Internet and Interconnected Logistics; (3) Sustaina-bility Issues in Intelligent Manufacturing Systems; (4) Holonic and Multi-agent Sys-tem Design for Industry and Services; (5) Service Oriented Enterprise Management and Control; (6) Cloud and Computing-oriented Manufacturing; (7) Smart Grids and Wireless Sensor Networks.These seven evolution lines have in common concepts, methodologies and imple-menting solutions for the Digital Transformation of Manufacturing. The book offers an integrated vision on complexity, big data and virtualization in service- and compu-ting-oriented manufacturing, combining emergent information and communication technologies, control with distributed intelligence and MAS implementation for total

This extensive work is the first dictionary in the field of automatic control to cover the technical terms of the field in these eight languages. It will certainly prove itself a valuable aid to all control engineers and systems scientists and will undoubtedly become the recognized standard for the technical terms in this field.

Engineers and scientists will also find it a great help when writing research papers for publication in English language journals and preparing oral presentations at scientific conferences. This unique dictionary contains over 1600 terms covering the entire field of control and automation, derived from the technical committees of IFAC (the International Federation of Automatic Control) and the conferences that it organizes.

To facilitate its use in all eight languages the dictionary is divided into two main sections. Firstly, the 1600 technical terms are arranged alphabetically in English with their equivalents in the other languages listed along the page. The second section consists of alphabetical listings in the other seven languages with each term numbered to correspond with the English term in the first section. The Chinese, Japanese and Russian entries all appear in their own alphabet and with roman transliterations to permit wider use.

Published by Pergamon in collaboration with IFAC, the International Federation of Automatic Control.

This book introduces advanced thyristor-based shunt hybrid active power filters (HAPFs) for power quality improvement in power grids, which are characterized by a low dc-link operating voltage and a wide compensation range. This means they can overcome the high dc-link voltage requirement of conventional active power filters and the narrow compensation range problem of LC-coupling hybrid active power filters. Consisting of 10 chapters, the book discusses the principle, design, control and hardware implementation of thyristor-based hybrid active power filters. It covers 1) V-I characteristics, cost analysis, power loss and reliability studies of different power filters; 2) mitigation of the harmonic injection technique for thyristor-controlled parts; 3) nonlinear pulse width modulation (PWM) control; 4) parameter design methods; 5) minimum inverter capacity design; 6) adaptive dc-link voltage control; 7) unbalanced control strategy; 8) selective compensation techniques; and 9) the hardware prototype design of thyristor-based HAPFs, verified by simulation and experimental results. It enables readers to gain an understanding of the basic power electronics techniques applied in power systems as well as the advanced techniques for controlling, implementing and designing advanced thyristor-based HAPFs.

With contributions by specialists in optimization and practitioners in the fields of aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, and fluid and solid mechanics, the major themes include an assessment of the state of the art in optimization algorithms as well as challenging applications in design and control, in the areas of process engineering and systems with partial differential equation models.

These proceedings showcase the best papers selected from more than 500 submissions, introducing readers to the top research topics and the latest developmental trends in the theory and application of Man-Machine-Environment System Engineering (MMESE). This research topic was first established in China by Professor Shengzhao Long in 1981, with direct support from one of the greatest modern Chinese scientists, Xuesen Qian. In a letter to Shengzhao Long from October 22nd, 1993, Xuesen Qian wrote: "You have created a very important modern science and technology in China!" MMESE primarily focuses on the relationship between Man, Machine and Environment, studying the optimum combination of related Man-Machine-Environment systems. In this paradigm, "Man" refers to working people as the subject at the workplace (e.g. operators, decision-makers); "Machine" is the general name for any object controlled by Man (including tools, machinery, computers, systems and technologies), and "Environment" describes the specific working conditions under which Man and Machine interact (e.g. temperature, noise, vibration, hazardous gases etc.). In turn, the three goals of optimization are to ensure safety, efficiency and economy in this context. These proceedings present interdisciplinary studies on the concepts and methods of physiology, psychology, system engineering, computer science, environmental science, management, education, and other related disciplines. They offer a valuable resource for all researchers and professionals whose work involves interdisciplinary areas touching on MMESE subjects.

The solution of eigenvalue problems is an integral part of many scientific computations. For example, the numerical solution of problems in structural dynamics, electrical networks, macro-economics, quantum chemistry, and c- trol theory often requires solving eigenvalue problems. The coefficient matrix of the eigenvalue problem may be small to medium sized and dense, or large and sparse (containing many zeroelements). In the past tremendous advances have been achieved in the solution methods for symmetric eigenvalue pr- lems. The state of the art for nonsymmetric problems is not so advanced; nonsymmetric eigenvalue problems can be hopelessly difficult to solve in some situations due, for example, to poor conditioning. Good numerical algorithms for nonsymmetric eigenvalue problems also tend to be far more complex than their symmetric counterparts. This book deals with methods for solving a special nonsymmetric eig- value problem; the symplectic eigenvalue problem. The symplectic eigenvalue problem is helpful, e.g., in analyzing a number of different questions that arise in linear control theory for discrete-time systems. Certain quadratic eigenvalue problems arising, e.g., in finite element discretization in structural analysis, in acoustic simulation of poro-elastic materials, or in the elastic deformation of anisotropic materials can also lead to symplectic eigenvalue problems. The problem appears in other applications as well.

How and why to write a movement? Who is the writer? Who is the reader? They may be choreographers working with dancers. They may be roboticists programming robots. They may be artists designing cartoons in computer animation. In all such fields the purpose is to express an intention about a dance, a specific motion or an action to perform, in terms of intelligible sequences of elementary movements, as a music score that would be devoted to motion representation. Unfortunately there is no universal language to write a motion. Motion languages live together in a Babel tower populated by biomechanists, dance notators, neuroscientists, computer scientists, choreographers, roboticists. Each community handles its own concepts and speaks its own language. The book accounts for this diversity. Its origin is a unique workshop held at LAAS-CNRS in Toulouse in 2014. Worldwide representatives of various communities met there. Their challenge was to reach a mutual understanding allowing a choreographer to access robotics concepts, or a computer scientist to understand the subtleties of dance notation. The liveliness of this multidisciplinary meeting is reflected by the book thank to the willingness of authors to share their own experiences with others.

Robotics is at the cusp of dramatic transformation. Increasingly complex robots with unprecedented autonomy are finding new applications, from medical surgery, to construction, to home services. Against this background, the algorithmic foundations of robotics are becoming more crucial than ever, in order to build robots that are fast, safe, reliable, and adaptive. Algorithms enable robots to perceive, plan, control, and learn. The design and analysis of robot algorithms raise new fundamental questions that span computer science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and mathematics. These algorithms are also finding applications beyond robotics, for example, in modeling molecular motion and creating digital characters for video games and architectural simulation. The Workshop on Algorithmic Foundations of Robotics (WAFR) is a highly selective meeting of leading researchers in the field of robot algorithms. Since its creation in 1994, it has published some of the field's most important and lasting contributions. This book contains the proceedings of the 9th WAFR, held on December 13-15, 2010 at the National University of Singapore. The 24 papers included in this book span a wide variety of topics from new theoretical insights to novel applications.

Conceived by Count Jacopo Francesco Riccati more than a quarter of a millennium ago, the Riccati equation has been widely studied in the subsequent centuries. Since its introduction in control theory in the sixties, the matrix Riccati equation has known an impressive range of applications, such as optimal control, H? optimization and robust stabilization, stochastic realization, synthesis of linear passive networks, to name but a few. This book consists of 11 chapters surveying the main concepts and results related to the matrix Riccati equation, both in continuous and discrete time. Theory, applications and numerical algorithms are extensively presented in an expository way. As a foreword, the history and prehistory of the Riccati equation is concisely presented.

Over the last twenty years, automation and robotics have played an increasingly important role in a variety of application domains including manufacturing, hazardous environments, defense, and service industries. Space is a unique environment where power, communications, atmospheric, gravitational, and sensing conditions impose harsh constraints on the ability of both man and machines to function productively. In this environment, intelligent automation and robotics are essential complements to the capabilities of humans. In the development of the United States Space Program, robotic manipulation systems have increased in importance as the complexity of space missions has grown. Future missions will require the construction, maintenance, and repair of large structures, such as the space station. This volume presents the effords of several groups that are working on robotic solutions to this problem. Much of the work in this book is related to assembly in space, and especially in-orbit assembly of large truss structures. Many of these so-called truss structures will be assembled in orbit. It is expected that robot manipulators will be used exclusively, or at least provide partial assistance to humans. Intelligent Robotic Systems for Space Exploration provides detailed algorithms and analysis for assembly of truss structure in space. It reports on actual implementations to date done at NASA's Langley Research Center. The Johnson Space Center, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Other implementations and research done at Rensselaer are also reported. Analysis of robot control problems that are unique to a zero-gravity environment are presented.