7R20. Non-linear Control for Underactuated Mechanical Systems. - I Fantoni and R Lozano (UMR CNRS 6599, Univ de Technologie de Compiegne, BP 20529, Compiegne, 60205, France). Springer-Verlag London Ltd, Surrey, UK. 2002. 295 pp. ISBN 1-85233-423-1. $109.00.
Reviewed by SC Sinha (Dept of Mech Eng, Auburn Univ, 202 Ross Hall, Auburn AL 36849-5341).
This is an application-oriented book that is intended for engineers, graduate students, and researchers who are interested in the design of nonlinear controllers for underactuated mechanical systems. Underactuated systems are defined as systems with lesser number of independent control actuators than the degrees of freedom to be controlled. Readers with a background in intermediate level dynamics and control should have no trouble following the material.
After an introduction in Chapter 1, some definitions and background material are presented in Chapter 2. These include Lyapunov stability concepts, Krasovskii-LaSalle invariance principle, passivity criteria, and controllability condition. The next nine...
