Experimenting with hybrid control - IEEE Control Systems Magazine

Recently developed experimental and numerical environments have helped breathe life into the various control theories found in textbooks and have thereby greatly changed the educational experience of students of automatic control. Nonlinear balance beams, inverted pendulums, and distributed parameter thermal systems are now widely available for hands-on experimentation. Many students react quite positively to this additional dose of realism. Because the models selected for such experiments are usually accurately described by relatively simple differential equations, the laboratory experience reinforces both the textbook analysis and the value of numerical simulation. At the same time, there is a growing realization among educators and employers that students of automatic control should be encouraged to think of the subject in broader terms. The systems approach should embrace communica-