9625173 McClamroch This proposal describes a plan for research on stabilization of an equilibrium solution of an important class of nonlinear control systems. Although supervisory or logic-based switched feedback controllers have been studied in a variety of contexts, our interest is to exploit them to achieve closed loop stabilization when alternative smooth feedback stabilization approaches are either not available or do not provide the required performance. We plan to study stabilization of a special but important class of nonlinear control systems, that include nonholonomic control systems and related nonlinear control systems as a subclass, using supervisory control. Our motivation arises from the fact that nonholonomic control systems are well known not to be asymptotically stabilizable using smooth (time invariant) feedback. Fundamental research questions are posed whose solution should provide important new insights into nonlinear stabilization and control using supervisory control feedback. The proposed theoretical research will be carried out in connection with a parallel study of applications of supervisory feedback control, primarily to classes of underactuated mechanical systems. The outcomes of the proposed research should contribute to the synthesis of classical nonlinear control methodology and intelligent control methodology. ***
