This volume is an outgrowth of the workshop Applications of Advanced Control Theory to Robotics and Automation, organized in honor of the 70th birthdays of Petar V. Kokotovic and Salvatore Nicosia. Both Petar and Turi have carried out distinguished work in the control community, and have long been recognized as mentors as well as experts and pioneers in the field of automatic control, covering many topics in control theory and several different applications. The variety of their research is reflected in this book, which includes contributions ranging from mathematics to laboratory experiments.Main topics covered include: * Observer design for time-delay systems, nonlinear systems, and identification for different classes of systems* Lyapunov tools for linear differential inclusions, control of constrained systems, and finite-time stability concepts * New studies of robot manipulators, parameter identification, and different control problems for mobile robots* Applications of modern control techniques to port-controlled Hamiltonian systems, different classes of vehicles, and web handling systems* Applications of the max-plus algebra to system-order reduction; optimal machine schedu used by many of the authors will make this book suitable for experts, as well as young researchers who seek a more intuitive understanding of these relevant topics in the field

Naming is an integral building block within data networks and systems and is becoming ever more important as complex data-centric usage models emerge. Internet Naming and Discovery is timely in developing a unified model for studying the topic of naming and discovery. It details the architectural and economic tools needed for designing naming and discovery schemes within the broader context of internetwork architecture. Readers will find in this book a historic overview of the Internet and a comprehensive survey of the literature, followed by and an in-depth examination of naming and discovery. Specific topics covered include: * formal definitions of name, address, identifier, locator, binding, routing, discovery, mapping, and resolution; * a discussion of the properties of names and bindings, along with illustrative case studies; * taxonomy that helps in organizing the solution space, and more importantly in identifying new avenues for contributing to the field; * a general model for exploring the tradeoffs involved in designing discovery systems; * an illustrative design exercise for differentiated discovery services; * broad treatment of the main economic issues that arise in the context of discovery; and * a game-theoretic incentive model for route distribution (and discovery) in the context of path-vector routing protocols (mainly BGP). Internet Naming and Discovery will be of great value to readers, including graduate students, engineers and computer scientists, theoreticians and practitioners, seeking a training in advanced networking, or specializing in computer and communications networks.

Robot Manipulator Control offers a complete survey of control systems for serial-link robot arms and acknowledges how robotic device performance hinges upon a well-developed control system. Containing over 750 essential equations, this thoroughly up-to-date Second Edition, the book explicates theoretical and mathematical requisites for controls design and summarizes current techniques in computer simulation and implementation of controllers. It also addresses procedures and issues in computed-torque, robust, adaptive, neural network, and force control. New chapters relay practical information on commercial robot manipulators and devices and cutting-edge methods in neural network control.

Naming is an integral building block within data networks and systems and is becoming ever more important as complex data-centric usage models emerge. Internet Naming and Discovery is timely in developing a unified model for studying the topic of naming and discovery. It details the architectural and economic tools needed for designing naming and discovery schemes within the broader context of internetwork architecture. Readers will find in this book a historic overview of the Internet and a comprehensive survey of the literature, followed by and an in-depth examination of naming and discovery. Specific topics covered include: * formal definitions of name, address, identifier, locator, binding, routing, discovery, mapping, and resolution; * a discussion of the properties of names and bindings, along with illustrative case studies; * taxonomy that helps in organizing the solution space, and more importantly in identifying new avenues for contributing to the field; * a general model for exploring the tradeoffs involved in designing discovery systems; * an illustrative design exercise for differentiated discovery services; * broad treatment of the main economic issues that arise in the context of discovery; and * a game-theoretic incentive model for route distribution (and discovery) in the context of path-vector routing protocols (mainly BGP). Internet Naming and Discovery will be of great value to readers, including graduate students, engineers and computer scientists, theoreticians and practitioners, seeking a training in advanced networking, or specializing in computer and communications networks.

The area of communication and computer networks has become a very active field of research by the control systems community in the last years. Tools from convex optimization and control theory are playing increasing roles in efficient network utilization, fair resource allocation, and communication delay accommodation and the field of Networked Control systems is fast becoming a mainstay of control systems research and applications. This carefully edited book brings together solicited contributions from experts in the various areas of communication/control networks referring to both networks under control (control in networks) as well as networked control systems (control over networks). The aim of this book is to reverse the trend of fragmentation and specialization in Communication Control Networks connecting various interdisciplinary research fields including control, communication, applied mathematics and computer science.