ep12 - John Doyle, Part I: A Pioneer's Guide to Robust Control - The Past, Present, and Future

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May 15, 2023

John Doyle, a living legend in the field of robust control, shares his journey in control theory. From his groundbreaking work on μm synthesis and the H∞infinity problem to his insights on System Level Synthesis and modern control architectures, John discusses the past, present, and future of robust control. Along the way, he shares fascinating stories including record-breaking athletics feats and a thrilling Panamanian adventure. Don't miss his thoughts on fixing the theory-practice gap and the challenge of architecture design in our age.

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ANECDOTE

High School Football Prowess and Fragility

John Doyle threw a football 65 yards in high school, comparable to NFL players.
He suffered many concussions playing football, highlighting his physical fragility despite athleticism.

ANECDOTE

Accidental Rowing Champion

Doyle discovered rowing accidentally, breaking world records in his 40s at the World Masters Games.
He emphasizes this achievement stemmed from genetics (VO2 max) rather than skill.

ANECDOTE

Panamanian Misadventure

During a run in Panama, Doyle fell off a cliff, suffering severe injuries and near-fatal blood loss.
He was rescued after two days, highlighting luck amidst poor decision-making.

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In this episode, we sit down with John Doyle, a living legend in the field of robust control, to delve into his incredible journey in control theory. We explore his past at MIT and Honeywell, his time at Berkeley, and his journey through the golden age of robustness. From his groundbreaking work on margins of systems, \mu synthesis, and the H_\infty problem, to his insights on System Level Synthesis (SLS) and modern control architectures, John shares his thoughts on the past, present, and future of robust control. Along the way, we listen to John's fascinating stories, including his astonishing sport records and his thrilling Panamanian adventure.

Outline
00:00 - Intro
03:58 - Selected record-breaking athletics feats
09:47 - The Panamanian adventure
13:41 - Early steps in control: the MIT & Honeywell years
32:24 - The move to Berkeley and the golden age of robustness
46:06 - To H_\infty and beyond
50:47 - DGKF: The solution of the H_\infty problem
1:02:40 - A glimpse of System Level Syntheis (SLS)
1:07:27 - The challenge of our age: a theory of architecture design
1:12:34 - How to fix the theory-practice gap
1:15:05 - Outro

Links
John’s website: https://doyle.caltech.edu/Main_Page
Sport records: https://tinyurl.com/4f7uapjt
The Panamanian adventure: https://tinyurl.com/3zf4x5f7
John’s master thesis: https://tinyurl.com/5c4bt5kk
Paper - Guaranteed margins for LQG: https://tinyurl.com/3pjdvjmk
Paper - Multivariable feedback design: ... https://tinyurl.com/4uv8a6yz
John’s PhD Thesis: https://tinyurl.com/27mew2ku
Paper - Feedback and optimal sensitivity: ... : https://tinyurl.com/2p8a5vbh
Paper - Performance and robustness analysis for structured uncertainty: https://tinyurl.com/mr78ajwx
Paper - State-space solutions to standard H2 and H∞ control problems: https://tinyurl.com/4ru2ssc9
Witsenhausen’s counterexample: https://tinyurl.com/3cavzz9y

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Acknowledgments and sponsors
This episode was supported by the National Centre of Competence in Research on «Dependable, ubiquitous automation» and the IFAC Activity fund. The podcast benefits from the help of an incredibly talented and passionate team. Special thanks to L. Seward, E. Cahard, F. Banis, F. Dörfler, J. Lygeros, ETH studio and mirrorlake . Music was composed by A New Element.