9625086 Pao This CAREER project emphasizes research and educational activities related to control of flexible structures. Specifically, robust and rapid control methods for flexible systems are developed in presence of parameter uncertainties. These methods exploit the notions of input shaping in order to guarantee robustness for systems with uncertainties in natural frequency and damping parameters. Input shaping methods are used for single actuator systems, for multiple actuator systems, and for integrated plant controller systems. A priority in the development of these methods is computational efficiency and practical implementability. The applicability of these methods span several types of situations such as disk-drive read/write heads in computers, flexible robots in manufacturing, cranes in construction material handling, and trusses in space structures. In the educational arena, an innovative control systems software is developed, a remote integrated design environment is advanced, and a Matlab/Simulink based laboratory book is designed, which may be particularly useful for those institutions where the required hardware equipment may not be available.***
