Page 9 - ASME DSCC 2016 Program

Plenary Sessions

PLENARY SESSIONS THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13TH
8:30AM–9:30AM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12TH Great Lakes B&C Ballroom
8:30AM–9:30AM
Great Lakes B&C Ballroom
Speaker: Mark Spong, University of Texas at Dallas

Speaker: Peter Achten, INNAS

“Nyquist Lecture - A Brief History of Passivity-Based Control in
Robotics”
“The ‘Via Negativa’” Abstract: This talk will present a historical account of the origins of
Abstract: The power to create, is one of the most precious gifts of passivity-based control with applications in robotics. In particular, it will
mankind. It is the ability to find new ways and new solutions, often for show how the passivity paradigm has enabled fundamental results in
problems, that we –ourselves– created. In order to find new solutions, bilateral teleoperation, adaptive and robust control, bipedal locomotion,
creativity needs to be combined with skills, knowledge and of course hybrid and switching control, and synchronization of multi-agent systems.
talent. The combination is called craftsmanship. In the end, the quest for a Both theoretical and experimental results will be given.
designer is not to find just a random solution, which you might do with just Biography: Mark W. Spong received the D.Sc. degree in systems science
creativity, but to find the right solution. But how? How do you find the right and mathematics from Washington University in St. Louis in 1981. He has
solution, the good design, amidst thousands of wrong ideas? Well, there is held faculty positions at Lehigh University (1981-82), Cornell University
a methodology. It is called: the ‘via negativa’. (1982-84), and at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1984-
This presentation explores the ‘via negativa’ for the fluid power industry, 2008).
or, to be more precise, the hydraulic industry. The hydraulic industry has He is currently the Dean of the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and
the potential to offer sophisticated, dynamic and efficient solutions for Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas, where he holds
main stream applications. Hydraulic systems present an unparalleled both the Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair and the Excellence in Education
power, force and torque density. They can be extremely robust and are Chair. Under Dr. Spong’s leadership since 2008 the Jonsson School at UT
able to operate in conditions where no other system technologies can Dallas has added four new engineering departments, nine new degree
work. Power management can easily be achieved with hydraulic accumula- programs, and has more than doubled the number of students and faculty.
tors, also allowing energy recuperation and hybrid drive systems. Yet,
despite all these strong and convincing advantages, the industry seems to Dr. Spong is Past President of the IEEE Control Systems Society, and has
be stuck in market niches and has lost the ability to innovate. served as both Editor-in-Chief and Associate Editor of the IEEE Transac-
tions on Control System Technology, and as Associate Editor of the IEEE
This presentation is about finding new ways to revitalize the full potential Transactions on Robotics and Automation, the IEEE Control Systems
of hydraulic system technology, making the hydraulic industry alive, vivid Magazine, and the IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control. He served as
and innovative again. If the hydraulic industry is the sleeing beauty, then Vice President for Publication Activities from 2000-2002 and is a past
dynamic systems and control technology is the prince on the white horse. member of the Board of Governors of the IEEE Control Systems Society.
But the kiss, the spark, has to come from the bright engineers. And they
lived happily afterwards. Dr. Spong’s main research interests are in robotics, mechatronics, and
nonlinear control theory. He has authored or coauthored more than 300
Biography: Dr. Peter Achten is the owner of INNAS, an engineering and technical articles in control and robotics, five books and holds one patent.
innovation company in Breda, the Netherlands. Peter has over 30 years of He has made fundamental contributions in robust and nonlinear control of
experience in the hydraulic industry and academia. He has a master’s and robot manipulators, teleoperators, bipedal walking robots, and multi-robot
doctorate degree from Eindhoven University of Technology. In 2008, the systems.
Mechatronics, Informatics & Control Group of the Institution of Mechanical
Engineers awarded him with the Joseph Bramah Medal, in recognition of His notable awards include the 2011 Pioneer Award from the IEEE Robotics
his exceptional innovation in the field of fluid power. Since 2010, he is a and Automation Society, the first IROS Fumio Harashima Award for
member of the editorial board of ‘the Journal of Systems and Control Innovative Technologies in 2007, the IEEE Transactions on Control
Engineering’. He has written and co-authored over 100 reports, books, Systems Technology Outstanding Paper Award, the Senior Scientist
articles and papers and holds more than 30 patents. Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the
Distinguished Member Award from the IEEE Control Systems Society, the
John R. Ragazzini and O. Hugo Schuck Awards from the American
Automatic Control Council, and the IEEE Third Millennium Medal. He is a
Fellow of both the IEEE and IFAC.
9

DSC_Program_2016Program.indd 9 9/30/16 11:57 AM