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Underactuated mechanical systems

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Control Problems in Robotics and Automation

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Control and Information Sciences ((LNCIS,volume 230))

Abstract

In this chapter we discuss the control of underactuated mechanical systems. Underactuated mechanical systems have fewer control inputs than degrees of freedom and arise in applications, such as space and undersea robots, mobile robots, flexible robots, walking, branchiating, and gymnastic robots. The Lagrangian dynamics of these systems may contain feedforward nonlinearities, non-minimum phase zero dynamics, nonholonomic constraints, and other properties that place this class of systems at the forefront of research in nonlinear control [22, 15]. A complete understanding of the control of these systems is therefore lacking. We will discuss the application of geometric nonlinear control, as well as methods based on passivity and energy for stabilization and tracking control. We will survey some of the existing results and point to open research problems.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coordinated Science Laboratory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

    Mark W. Spong

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  1. Mark W. Spong
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Editor information

Bruno Siciliano Kimon P. Valavanis

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© 1998 Springer-Verlag London Limited

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Spong, M.W. (1998). Underactuated mechanical systems. In: Siciliano, B., Valavanis, K.P. (eds) Control Problems in Robotics and Automation. Lecture Notes in Control and Information Sciences, vol 230. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0015081

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0015081

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-76220-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-40913-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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