In this work, the authors present a global perspective on the methods available for analysis and design of non-linear control systems and detail specific applications. They provide a tutorial exposition of the major non-linear systems analysis techniques followed by a discussion of available non-linear design methods.

This Second Volume in the series Handbook of Dynamic Data Driven Applications Systems (DDDAS) expands the scope of the methods and the application areas presented in the first Volume and aims to provide additional and extended content of the increasing set of science and engineering advances for new capabilities enabled through DDDAS. The methods and examples of breakthroughs presented in the book series capture the DDDAS paradigm and its scientific and technological impact and benefits. The DDDAS paradigm and the ensuing DDDAS-based frameworks for systems’ analysis and design have been shown to engender new and advanced capabilities for understanding, analysis, and management of engineered, natural, and societal systems (“applications systems”), and for the commensurate wide set of scientific and engineering fields and applications, as well as foundational areas. The DDDAS book series aims to be a reference source of many of the important research and development efforts conducted under the rubric of DDDAS, and to also inspire the broader communities of researchers and developers about the potential in their respective areas of interest, of the application and the exploitation of the DDDAS paradigm and the ensuing frameworks, through the examples and case studies presented, either within their own field or other fields of study. As in the first volume, the chapters in this book reflect research work conducted over the years starting in the 1990’s to the present. Here, the theory and application content are considered for: Foundational Methods Materials Systems Structural Systems Energy Systems Environmental Systems: Domain Assessment & Adverse Conditions/Wildfires Surveillance Systems Space Awareness Systems Healthcare Systems Decision Support Systems Cyber Security Systems Design of Computer Systems The readers of this book series will benefit from DDDAS theory advances such as object estimation, information fusion, and sensor management. The increased interest in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning and Neural Networks (NN) provides opportunities for DDDAS-based methods to show the key role DDDAS plays in enabling AI capabilities; address challenges that ML-alone does not, and also show how ML in combination with DDDAS-based methods can deliver the advanced capabilities sought; likewise, infusion of DDDAS-like approaches in NN-methods strengthens such methods. Moreover, the “DDDAS-based Digital Twin” or “Dynamic Digital Twin”, goes beyond the traditional DT notion where the model and the physical system are viewed side-by-side in a static way, to a paradigm where the model dynamically interacts with the physical system through its instrumentation, (per the DDDAS feed-back control loop between model and instrumentation).

This volume discusses advances in applied nonlinear optimal control, comprising both theoretical analysis of the developed control methods and case studies about their use in robotics, mechatronics, electric power generation, power electronics, micro-electronics, biological systems, biomedical systems, financial systems and industrial production processes. The advantages of the nonlinear optimal control approaches which are developed here are that, by applying approximate linearization of the controlled systems’ state-space description, one can avoid the elaborated state variables transformations (diffeomorphisms) which are required by global linearization-based control methods. The book also applies the control input directly to the power unit of the controlled systems and not on an equivalent linearized description, thus avoiding the inverse transformations met in global linearization-based control methods and the potential appearance of singularity problems. The method adopted here also retains the known advantages of optimal control, that is, the best trade-off between accurate tracking of reference setpoints and moderate variations of the control inputs. The book’s findings on nonlinear optimal control are a substantial contribution to the areas of nonlinear control and complex dynamical systems, and will find use in several research and engineering disciplines and in practical applications.