Challenges in Advanced Motion Control

Maarten Steinbuch

Modern motion systems like optical storage devices, pick-and-place systems and robotics in general, are highly dependent on the application of control technology. The underlying disciplines for this field such as mechanics, electronic power supplies and electronics, electric motors, sensor technology and digital control have rapidly developed over the last decades. The field of mechatronic systems has emerged to emphasize the importance of a systems approach for design. However, the interface mechatronics/software is still weak. The contribution of our field, i.e. hybrid system theory, is likely to become an important factor in this emerging field which we would like to call embedded dynamical systems. Another feature of motion systems which is not well addressed in research is the fact that experimentation is 'cheap'. The idea of Machine-in-the-loop, or data-driven control, offers interesting possibilities to further explore ideas from the self-tuning and adaptive control area, to improve feedback and feedforward design, accomodation varying or unknown plant as well as disturbance dynamics.