A successful cyber-physical system, a complex interweaving of hardware and software with some part of the physical environment, depends on proper identification of the, often pre-existing, physical element. A bespoke “cyber” part of the system may then be designed from scratch. Optimal Mobile Sensing and Actuation Strategies in Cyber-physical Systems focuses on distributed-parameter systems the dynamics of which can be modelled with partial differential equations. These are very challenging to observe, their states and inputs being distributed throughout a spatial domain. Consequently, systematic approaches to the optimization of sensor location have to be devised for parameter estimation. The text begins by reviewing the field of cyber-physical systems and introducing background notions of distributed parameter systems and optimal observation theory. New research problems are then defined within this framework. Two important problems considered are optimal mobile sensor trajectory planning and the accuracy effects and allocation of remote sensors. These are followed up with a solution to the problem of optimal robust estimation. Actuation policies are then introduced into the framework with the purpose of improving estimation and optimizing the trajectories of both sensors and actuators simultaneously. The large number of illustrations within the text will assist the reader to visualize the application of the methods proposed. A group of similar examples are used throughout the book to help the reader assimilate the material more easily. The monograph concentrates on the use of methods for which a cyber-physical-systems infrastructure is required. The methods are computationally heavy and require mobile sensors and actuators with communications abilities. Application examples cover fields from environmental science to national security so that readers are encouraged to link the ideas of cyber-physical systems with their own research.

This book presents a wide and comprehensive range of issues and problems in various fields of science and engineering, from both theoretical and applied perspectives. The desire to develop more effective and efficient tools and techniques for dealing with complex processes and systems has been a natural inspiration for the emergence of numerous fields of science and technology, in particular control and automation and, more recently, robotics. The contributions gathered here concern the development of methods and algorithms to determine best practices regarding broadly perceived decisions or controls. From an engineering standpoint, many of them focus on how to automate a specific process or complex system. From a tools-based perspective, several contributions address the development of analytic and algorithmic methods and techniques, devices and systems that make it possible to develop and subsequently implement the automation and robotization of crucial areas of human activity. All topics discussed are illustrated with sample applications.

This monograph provides an accessible introduction to the regional analysis of fractional diffusion processes. It begins with background coverage of fractional calculus, functional analysis, distributed parameter systems and relevant basic control theory. New research problems are then defined in terms of their actuation and sensing policies within the regional analysis framework. The results presented provide insight into the control-theoretic analysis of fractional-order systems for use in real-life applications such as hard-disk drives, sleep stage identification and classification, and unmanned aerial vehicle control. The results can also be extended to complex fractional-order distributed-parameter systems and various open questions with potential for further investigation are discussed. For instance, the problem of fractional order distributed-parameter systems with mobile actuators/sensors, optimal parameter identification, optimal locations/trajectory of actuators/sensors and regional actuation/sensing configurations are of great interest. The book’s use of illustrations and consistent examples throughout helps readers to understand the significance of the proposed fractional models and methodologies and to enhance their comprehension. The applications treated in the book run the gamut from environmental science to national security. Academics and graduate students working with cyber-physical and distributed systems or interested in the applications of fractional calculus will find this book to be an instructive source of state-of-the-art results and inspiration for further research.

This book illustrates the application of fractional calculus in crowd dynamics via modeling and control groups of pedestrians. Decision-making processes, conservation laws of mass/momentum, and micro-macro models are employed to describe system dynamics while cooperative movements in micro scale, and fractional diffusion in macro scale are studied to control the group of pedestrians. Obtained work is included in the Intelligent Evacuation Systems that is used for modeling and to control crowds of pedestrians. With practical issues considered, this book is of interests to mathematicians, physicists, and engineers.

This book provides an overview of a series of advanced research lines in robotics as well as of design and development methodologies for intelligent robots and their intelligent components. It represents a selection of extended versions of the best papers presented at the Seventh IEEE International Workshop on Intelligent Data Acquisition and Advanced Computing Systems: Technology and Applications IDAACS 2013 that were related to these topics. Its contents integrate state of the art computational intelligence based techniques for automatic robot control to novel distributed sensing and data integration methodologies that can be applied to intelligent robotics and automation systems. The objective of the text was to provide an overview of some of the problems in the field of robotic systems and intelligent automation and the approaches and techniques that relevant research groups within this area are employing to try to solve them.The contributions of the different authors have been grouped into four main sections:• Robots• Control and Intelligence• Sensing• Collaborative automationThe chapters have been structured to provide an easy to follow introduction to the topics that are addressed, including the most relevant references, so that anyone interested in this field can get started in the area.

The use of cyber-physical systems in recent computing, communication, and control methods to design and operate intelligent and autonomous systems using cutting-edge technologies has led to many advances. By studying emerging trends in these systems, programming techniques can be optimized and strengthened to create a higher level of effectiveness. Cyber-Physical Systems for Next-Generation Networks provides emerging research on using cyber-physical systems (CPS) as a method to control design and operation of intelligent systems through next-generation networks. While highlighting issues such as increasing CPS complexity due to components within physical and industrial systems, this publication explores information on real-time sensing, reasoning, and adaptation for cyber-physical systems while gaining an understanding of evolutionary computing for it. This book is a valuable resource for engineers, academicians, researchers, and graduate-level students seeking current research on CPS in cutting-edge technologies.

As a segment of the broader science of automation, robotics has achieved tremendous progress in recent decades due to the advances in supporting technologies such as computers, control systems, cameras and electronic vision, as well as micro and nanotechnology. Prototyping a design helps in determining system parameters, ranges, and in structuring an overall better system. Robotics is one of the industrial design fields in which prototyping is crucial for improved functionality. Prototyping of Robotic Systems: Applications of Design and Implementation provides a framework for conceptual, theoretical, and applied research in robotic prototyping and its applications. Covering the prototyping of various robotic systems including the complicated industrial robots, the tiny and delicate nanorobots, medical robots for disease diagnosis and treatment, as well as the simple robots for educational purposes, this book is a useful tool for those in the field of robotics prototyping and as a general reference tool for those in related fields.

Selected, peer reviewed papers from the 2013 International Conference on Mechatronics and Semiconductor Materials (ICMSCM 2013), September 28-29, 2013, Xi’an, China

Graduate students and researchers in applied mathematics, optimization, engineering, computer science, and management science will find this book a useful reference which provides an introduction to applications and fundamental theories in nonlinear combinatorial optimization. Nonlinear combinatorial optimization is a new research area within combinatorial optimization and includes numerous applications to technological developments, such as wireless communication, cloud computing, data science, and social networks. Theoretical developments including discrete Newton methods, primal-dual methods with convex relaxation, submodular optimization, discrete DC program, along with several applications are discussed and explored in this book through articles by leading experts.