The demand for automation in modern society has been
increasing steadily during the last few decades.
Robotic systems have played an important role in
automation that includes manufacturing, assembly,
and biotechnology to name a few. In addition, there
is a growing need for unmanned operation in
different service and research sectors such as
search and rescue, nuclear waste clean up, mining,
planetary exploration and others. Such complex
applications increase the possibility of system
faults that are characterized by critical and
unpredictable changes in the system dynamics. The...