This is a graduate level course which serves as an introduction to the broad area of multi agent systems. The tools required are graph theory and matrix theory, which is covered in the first quarter of the course. These tools are then used to achieve consensus among a swarm of agents trying to achieve consensus to address problems like rendezvous, formation control, etc. The theory pertaining to both linear and non-linear agents are covered in the second and third quarters of the course. The last part deals with the recent trends in the literature like cyber-physical systems and their attributes in multi-agent systems.
The course deals with linear systems and modern control theory. State space analysis is at the core of modern control theory and is used as a representation of linear (and nonlinear) systems. It is a powerful tool based on linear algebra which is useful in the analysis of inherent properties of linear systems. Controller design techniques are also explored in the course.
Real world is inundated with systems which have nonlinear models. For example, a simple bicycle (or even a unicycle!) has a nonlinear model. Needless to say, the analysis of such systems can get a little more challenging than that for linear systems. In this course, we will learn techniques and tools to explore the inherent properties of such systems. We will also cover controller design techniques which will help us make these systems perform desired tasks.
This is an undergraduate level course which serves as an introduction to control. Starting from simple notions like feedback and transfer functions of LTI systems, the course covers various useful tools like root locus analysis, Nyquist plots, Bode plots, etc. We will also learn to use these tools to study the stability of LTI systems and design controllers to make these systems perform desired tasks.