inControl

Exploring geometric control on Lie groups for underwater vehicles, collective motion in animal groups, decision-making in honeybees, and bifurcation theory. Insights into the interconnected patterns in dancing and control theory, coordination in nature, and spatial patterns in coordinated groups. Discussing the challenges of stability in underwater vehicles and the importance of control laws for robustness.

Outline00:00 - Intro00:47 - Mind the gap (metric)03:16 - Moment problems and Nevanlinna interpolation06:53 - “Everything relates to everything else”11:27 - Distances between power spectra 16:08 - Optimal mass transport and Schrödinger bridges32:25 - Sinkhorn iteration and Wasserstein geometry37:45 - Color of turbulence41:38 - Thermodynamics and energy harvesting from heat baths55:01 - Quantum mechanics57:55 - Adjustable one-ports1:07:20 - “Aha moments” and advice to future generations1:12:20 - OutroLinksTryphon’s website: https://georgiou.eng.uci.edu/Robustness analysis of nonlinear feedback systems: an input-output approach (paper): https://tinyurl.com/4785kxnyA topological approach to Nevanlinna–Pick interpolation (paper): https://tinyurl.com/4vudtz8cA generalized entropy criterion for Nevanlinna-Pick interpolation with degree constraint (paper): https://tinyurl.com/39enabucThe meaning of distances in spectral analysis, IEEE CDC plenary 2007 (slides): https://tinyurl.com/mrytp7j8Optimal Steering of a Linear Stochastic System to a Final Probability Distribution, Part I (paper): https://tinyurl.com/2nbm3sa6Y. Chen - https://tinyurl.com/37frfx67M. Pavon - https://tinyurl.com/yjhbawhbMittag Lefler - https://tinyurl.com/29cjum7jStochastic control liasons (paper): https://tinyurl.com/4s8y775bSinkhorn iteration: https://tinyurl.com/ym5catr2Color of turbulence (paper): https://tinyurl.com/5n77bepbHarvesting energy from a periodic heat bath (paper): https://tinyurl.com/2vadpu93Principles of lossless adjustable one-ports (paper): https://tinyurl.com/53v23yt4Inerter: https://tinyurl.com/ya2bkkhwSupport the showPodcast infoPodcast website: https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/5n84j85jSpotify: https://tinyurl.com/4rwztj3cRSS: https://tinyurl.com/yc2fcv4yYoutube: https://tinyurl.com/bdbvhsj6Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/3z24yr43Twitter: https://twitter.com/IncontrolPInstagram: https://tinyurl.com/35cu4kr4Acknowledgments and sponsorsThis 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.

A distinguished professor discusses topics including running marathons, control theory, the Kimura-Jurji parameterization, the gap metric, optimal robustness, the commutant lifting theorem, interpolation theory, and causality in the arrow of time.

Davide Scaramuzza, a professor at the University of Zurich and a visionary in robotics and perception, shares his insights on autonomous flying technology. He discusses the thrilling world of drone racing, emphasizing speed optimization and algorithm advancements. The conversation dives into GPS-denied navigation and the revolutionary potential of event-based cameras, which enhance processing speed and environmental awareness. Scaramuzza also touches on the future of robotics, advocating for interdisciplinary collaboration to drive innovation.

Cleve Moler, a pioneer in numerical mathematics and the creator of MATLAB, shares his incredible journey from the University of Utah to co-founding MathWorks. He delves into the fascinating origins of MATLAB and the iconic MathWorks logo. The conversation touches on 'embarrassingly parallel computations' and the notorious Pentium bug that shook the tech world. Cleve also offers valuable advice for aspiring mathematicians, emphasizing the evolution and impact of numerical analysis in modern computing.

In this episode, John Doyle discusses complex systems and layered architectures, including topics such as the interplay between physics, bacteria, and the internet, earthquakes, wildfires, and sepsis. He explores the essential components of a full theory of architectures, including universal laws, layers, levels, and diversity-enabled sweet spots. The podcast also covers topics like power laws, the role of feedback in bacterial chemotaxis and visual perception, and the relationship between intelligent design and evolution. Lastly, it touches on societal implications and the importance of constructive criticism.

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.

In this episode, our guest is Mustafa Khammash. Mustafa is the director of the Control Theory and Systems Biology Lab at ETH Zürich and guides us in this episode as we explore Cybergenetics - the cutting-edge intersection of control theory and synthetic biology. From biomolecular control to antithetic motifs, we discuss real-world applications and ethical dilemmas. Don't miss it!Outline00:00 - Intro00:50 - Cybergenetics02:22 - Genetics 10105:07- Where control meets biology06:49 - Mustafa's early steps in biology: why do dairy cows get milk fever?12:05 - Systems and synthetic biology14:34 - History of synthetic biology17:16 - On biological computing23:23 - On biomolecular control29:27 - The birth of the Antithetic motif for molecular feedback control39:25 - Enabling technologies48:28 - How the antithetic motif works57:20 - Model organisms 01:00:45 - Applications of Cybergenetics 01:06:45 - Ethical dilemmas in Cybergenetics01:10:57 - On the internal model principle01:16:01 - Advice to future students01:19:51 - OutroLinks - Mustafa’s website: https://bsse.ethz.ch/ctsb- Paper on calcium regulation: https://tinyurl.com/4p9xu8j2- History of synthetic biology: https://tinyurl.com/2p8ej8fw- Motifs: https://tinyurl.com/3vcnjvj3- Paper - In silico feedback for in vivo regulation of a gene expression circuit: https://tinyurl.com/yw98d8k8- Paper - A universal biomolecular integral feedback controller for robust perfect adaptation: https://tinyurl.com/bddux4x3- Optogenetics: https://tinyurl.com/r6yw9s37- About the fluorescent protein: https://tinyurl.com/bdzm37fs- Electroporation: https://tinyurl.com/3hhjxanp- Paper - Cybergenetics: Theory and Applications of Genetic Control Systems: https://tinyurl.com/222f8924- Paper - Universal structural requirements for maximal robust perfect adaptation in biomolecular networks: https://tinyurl.com/3a2bm35fSupport the showPodcast infoPodcast website: https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/5n84j85jSpotify: https://tinyurl.com/4rwztj3cRSS: https://tinyurl.com/yc2fcv4yYoutube: https://tinyurl.com/bdbvhsj6Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/3z24yr43Twitter: https://twitter.com/IncontrolPInstagram: https://tinyurl.com/35cu4kr4Acknowledgments and sponsorsThis 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.

In this episode, our guest is Stephen Boyd. Stephen is the Samsung Professor in the School of Engineering at Stanford University.  Join as we dive deep into control, convex optimization, linear matrix inequalities, disciplined convex programming, teaching styles, and... rock & roll sound!Outline- 00:00 - Intro - 07:48 - Early years at Berkeley  - 10:25 - The role of theory in practice - 16:19 - On traveling (intellectually)- 19:40 - Convex optimization  - 31:51 - On Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs) - 39:57 - Convex Optimization Control Policies  (COCPs)- 50:20 - CVX and Disciplined Convex Programming (DCP)- 58:14 - About AI - 1:03:58 - Teaching - 1:11:07 - Open source and publishing - 1:15:13 - Future of control and advice to future students - 1:20:08 - OutroEpisode links- Stephen’s website: https://tinyurl.com/yrmk6p2w - CSM acceptance speech: https://tinyurl.com/43yhs583- L. Chua: https://tinyurl.com/k4zx4vya - C. Desoer: https://tinyurl.com/4euxvcxx - S. Sastry: https://tinyurl.com/2p9hfrha - G. Dantzig: https://tinyurl.com/2s4m3jvz - Simplex algorithm: https://tinyurl.com/2r8bxwe5 - Interior point methods: https://tinyurl.com/4ev4z6zm - Invariants and dissipated quantities: https://tinyurl.com/43zswmwt - Linear matrix inequalities: https://tinyurl.com/4y57date - COCP paper: https://tinyurl.com/468apvdx - Keynote talk at L4DC: https://tinyurl.com/2y3z4v68 - Model Predictive Control (MPC): https://tinyurl.com/bdf8r2sx - DCP: https://tinyurl.com/yc38kvae  - YALMIP: https://tinyurl.com/mr3rk2r4 - Stephen's books: https://tinyurl.com/52v9fu83Support the showPodcast infoPodcast website: https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/5n84j85jSpotify: https://tinyurl.com/4rwztj3cRSS: https://tinyurl.com/yc2fcv4yYoutube: https://tinyurl.com/bdbvhsj6Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/3z24yr43Twitter: https://twitter.com/IncontrolPInstagram: https://tinyurl.com/35cu4kr4Acknowledgments and sponsorsThis 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.

Our guest in this episode is Rodolphe Sepulchre, Professor of Engineering at KU Leuven in the Deparment of Electrical Engineering (STADIUS) and at the University of Cambridge in the Deparment of Engineering  (Control Group).  We dive into Rodophe's scientific journey across nonlinear control, neuroscience and optimization on manifolds through the unifying lens of control theory.Outline- 00:00 - Intro - 03:54 - Why control? - 11:08 - Spiking control systems - 20:47 - The mixed feedback principle - 23:52 - On thermodynamics - 25:17 - Event-based systems - 29:33 - On dissipativity theory - 48:00 - Stability, positivity and monotonicity - 55:00 - Control, cybernetics and neuroscience - 59:10 - Neuromorphic control principles - 01:00:01 - Optimization on manifolds - 01:05:01 - Influential figures - 01:08:52 - On the future of control - 01:12:35 - Advice to future students - 01:15:01 - About creativity - 01:20:35 - OutroEpisode links- Rodolphe's lab: https://tinyurl.com/yc4bubyy - IEEE CSM editorials: https://tinyurl.com/2bhch6w3 - Spiking control systems: https://tinyurl.com/3x6pwm9m- O. Pamuk: https://tinyurl.com/4akzyk37 - Event based control: https://tinyurl.com/5apuh5kw - A simple neuron servo: https://tinyurl.com/4pjnkx5u - C. Mead: https://tinyurl.com/mr29xta9 - L. Chua: https://tinyurl.com/5n935ssp - Inventing the negative feedback amplifier: https://tinyurl.com/4573rv2d - Hodgkin-Huxley model: https://tinyurl.com/mr46cv79 - R. Ashby: https://tinyurl.com/45jrp6hw - G. J. Minty: https://tinyurl.com/4u4v22ue  - J. C. Willems: https://tinyurl.com/3zthcxc2 - P. Kokotovic: https://tinyurl.com/mrymffch - Wholeness and the Implicate Order: https://tinyurl.com/yckpnybpSupport the showPodcast infoPodcast website: https://www.incontrolpodcast.com/Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/5n84j85jSpotify: https://tinyurl.com/4rwztj3cRSS: https://tinyurl.com/yc2fcv4yYoutube: https://tinyurl.com/bdbvhsj6Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/3z24yr43Twitter: https://twitter.com/IncontrolPInstagram: https://tinyurl.com/35cu4kr4Acknowledgments and sponsorsThis 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.