This monograph is devoted to the effect of delays on the stability properties of dynamical systems. Stability regions with respect to the delay parameters are considered, and some sufficient characterizations are proposed. The text addresses general delay problems and offers solutions in some cases. In other cases, approximations of the stability regions can be proposed. The interpretation of delays as uncertainty allows the authors to use the advances in robust control and robust convex optimization to solve or to approximate the solutions of the corresponding problems.

Control of nonlinear systems, one of the most active research areas in control theory, has always been a domain of natural convergence of research interests in applied mathematics and control engineering. The theory has developed from the early phase of its history, when the basic tool was essentially only the Lyapunov second method to the present day, where the mathematics ranges from differential geometry, calculus of variations, ordinary and partial differential equations, functional analysis, abstract algebra and stochastic processes; while the applications to advanced engineering design...

Control of Flexible-link Manipulators Using Neural Networks addresses the difficulties that arise in controlling the end-point of a manipulator that has a significant amount of structural flexibility in its links. The non-minimum phase characteristic, coupling effects, nonlinearities, parameter variations and unmodeled dynamics in such a manipulator all contribute to these difficulties. Control strategies that ignore these uncertainties and nonlinearities generally fail to provide satisfactory closed-loop performance. This monograph develops and experimentally evaluates several...

Uncertainty is one of the main features of complex and intelligent decision-making systems. There exists a great variety of definitions and descriptions of uncertain systems. The ideas of uncertain variables based on uncertain logics have been introduced and developed for a wide class of uncertain systems. In this monograph basic concepts, definitions and results concerning uncertain variables are presented. Applications to analysis and decision problems in uncertain systems, described by traditional mathematical models and by knowledge representations, are demonstrated.

Why are some regions in the European Union 'winners'of economic integration? And why are others 'losers'? This book explores these important questions and examines the relationship between economic integration, regional convergence, and divergence. In doing so it gives an overview of the most recent evolution of regional disparities in the EU. Central and peripheral regions are analysed as well as those in a re-conversion economic process. The authors address the question of whether regions tend to converge or not from different points of view. They particularly assess the impact of the...

Through the presentation of a suitable, recently developed approach, this text investigates a variety of qualitative aspects of order-preserving random dynamical systems, and gives the background for further development of the theory.

The monograph gives a theoretical explanation of observed cooperative behavior in common pool situations. The incentives for cooperative decision making are investigated by means of a cooperative game theoretical framework. In a first step core existence results are worked out. Whereas general core existence results provide us with an answer for mutual cooperation, nothing can be said how strong these incentives and how stable these cooperative agreements are. To clarify these questions the convexity property for common pool TU-games in scrutinized in a second step. It is proved that the...

The main objective of this book is to provide robotic researchers and developers with a reliable and authoritative source, meaningful and feasible developments as well as significance and impact of new problems in the field. The monograph emphasises all the implementation aspects related to major robotic subsystems, i.e. both technology structures and specific methodologies. The study of robotic subsystems aimed at the integration in a single complex system, with autonomous motion capabilities, represents the current frontier of scientific research in the field of robotics.

An analysis of control problems in robotics and automation. It discusses: industrial automatic control; force control; techniques for more robot hands; multi-robots and co-operative systems; flexible manipulators; bipedal robots; underactuated mechanical systems; and vision-based control.

This text examines the control problem for wheeled mobile robots. Several novel control strategies are developed and the stability of each controller is examined utilizing Lyapunov techniques. The performance of each controller is either illustrated through simulation results or experimental results. The final chapter describes how the control techniques developed for wheeled mobile robots can be applied to solve other problems with similar governing differential equations (for example twin rotor helicopters, surface vessels). Several appendices are included to provide the reader with the...