SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PAPERS
www.ifac-control.org www.unibo.it
8th IFAC Symposium
on Nonlinear Control Systems
UNIVERSITY OF BOLOGNA
ITALY SEPTEMBER 01-03 2010
organized by the Department of Electronics, Computer Science
and Systems of University of Bologna (DEIS)
on behalf of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC)
www.nolcos2010.unibo.it
under the auspices of:
ANIPLA
CASY
Comune di Bologna
Provincia di Bologna
Regione Emilia Romagna
SIDRA
Scope
The IFAC NOLCOS symposium is a continuing series of symposia that were previously held in Capri
(I) 1988, Bordeaux (F) 1992, Lake Tahoe (USA) 1995, Enschede (NL) 1998, Saint-Petersburg (RUS)
2001, Stuttgart (DE) 2004, and Pretoria (ZA) 2007.
Nonlinear control systems have gained importance in many industrial areas and research has
undergone significant developments recently. There are significant challenges in various fields of
nonlinear control. NOLCOS 2010 will address these challenges with its focus on latest developments
in theory and application of nonlinear control systems as well as related areas of research and
engineering.
Acknowledged as the major international gathering of leading experts in industry and academia
in the field of nonlinear control, NOLCOS aims at strengthening contacts between academia and
industry to build up new networks and cultivate existing relations. High-level speakers will present the
global spectrum of nonlinear control systems, state-of-the-art applications and developing directions.
NOLCOS 2010 is also meant as a forum for young scientists from all over the world. They will be
given the opportunity to introduce their research ambitions and scientific work to an audience of
international experts.
Paper submission information
Papers must be submitted through the conference submission website (PaperPlaza: css.paperplaza.
net) and should be prepared in accordance with the IFAC-Elsevier style (style files are available on
the conference homepage). For the purpose of review only, manuscripts may be up to eight (8) pages
long. However, normal length for the final manuscript is limited to six (6) pages. Acceptable file
formats are PDF and PS.
The draft paper should clearly indicate the merits of the new contributions, the relevance to the
topics and areas of NOLCOS 2010 and related literature to allow a fair reviewing procedure by the
International Program Committee. Only unpublished material may be submitted.
Invited sessions are strongly encouraged. Instructions on how to organize an invited session can be
found at www.nolcos2010@unibo.it.
Important dates
- September 2009 Opening paper submission
- 15 January 2010 Deadline for draft paper submission
- 30 March 2010 Authors notified of acceptance/rejection
- 15 May 2010 Deadline for final paper submission
- 15 June 2010 Deadline for early registration (for Symposium and Tutorials)
- 31 August 2010 Tutorials
- 1 September 2010 Symposium starts
Topics
AREAS WITH CHAIRS
Modelling and identification of nonlinear systems (K. Schlacher)
Nonlinear modeling and control of mechanical, electrical and process systems, smart structures,
aerospace and marine applications, computer algebra-based methods and tools, numerical methods,
bilinear systems, system structure identification, experiment design, parameter estimation.
Nonlinear systems optimal control (W. Kang)
Optimal control, necessary conditions, time optimal control, feasibility and stability issues, robustness,
computational efficiency, performance issues, disturbance attenuation, nonlinear model predictive
control theory and applications.
Mathematical theory, stability and stabilization of nonlinear systems (Z. P. Jiang)
Stability, I/O stability, absolute stability, input-to-state stability, small gain theorems, dissipativity,
passivity, stabilization, Lyapunov methods, dynamical systems techniques, bifurcation and chaos,
fundamental limitation of control.
Nonlinear systems complexity and networking (S. Celikovsky)
Computational complexity, computer network systems, computer network management, complex
network, sensor network, river network, network routing, chaos control, anti-control and
synchronization.
Nonlinear systems observation and observers (L. Praly)
Observability and observer design, filter design, state estimation and applications, adaptive observers,
adaptive filters, observer and filter design by observer error linearization, Lyapunov stability methods,
I/O stability methods, applications of observer design, observer based fault detection.
Nonlinear systems feedback design methods and problems (A. Astolfi)
Algebraic methods, linear algebraic methods, geometric methods, backstepping, variable structure
control and sliding mode, H∞ control, system inversion, feedback linearization, output tracking
and regulation, model matching, disturbance rejection, decoupling, stochastic control, robust and
adaptive control.
Hybrid nonlinear systems (A. R. Teel)
Hybrid nonlinear systems, hybrid nonlinear control systems, control of sampled data systems, discrete
events, switching control, quantized feedback and feedback with communication constraints,
nonlinear hybrid automata.
Application and implementation of nonlinear control systems (A. Serrani)
Mechatronic systems, robotics, power systems, automotive systems, marine systems, aerospace,
transportation systems, biological and biomedical systems, batch processing, chemical process,
mining, mineral and metal, model based control, optimization and scheduling, process and control
monitoring, manufacturing, components and instruments.
Program at a glance
PLENARY TALKS (confirmed):
• Discontinuous Feedback and Nonlinear Systems
Francis Clarke, Institut Universitaire de France and Université de Lyon, France
• Bipedal Locomotion and Hybrid Nonlinear Control
Jessy Grizzle, University of Michigan, USA
• Consensus in Nonlinear Spaces
Rodolphe Sepulchre, University of Liege, Belgium
1-DAY TUTORIALS: Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Three parallel tutorials, of 6 hours each, will be organized on August 31 by the three plenary speakers on the topics of
their plenary talks, namely discontinuous nonlinear feedback, nonlinear feedback for bipedal robot walking, and consensus
and coordination in nonlinear spaces. The objective of the tutorials is to introduce the participants with basic facts and notions
of the specific topic and to fix the background for the plenary talks where advances and future trends in the field will be
presented.
Tutorial 1: Optimality, Stabilization, and Feedback in Nonlinear Control
Francis Clarke, Institut universitaire de France and Université de Lyon
Abstract: The tutorial presents some modern tools for treating truly nonlinear control problems, including nonsmooth calculus
and discontinuous feedback. The need for such tools will be motivated, and applications to central issues in optimal and
stabilizing control will be indicated. The context throughout is that of systems of ordinary differential equations. Topics include:
Dynamic optimization: from the calculus of variations to the Pontryagin Maximum Principle; Nonsmooth analysis: what it is, and
what it’s for; Control theory and Lyapunov functions: classical to modern; Discontinuous feedback for stabilization.
Tutorial 2: From Fundamentals to Challenges in Feedback Control of 3D Bipedal Robotic Walking
Aaron Ames, Texas A&M University
Jessy Grizzle, University of Michigan
Abstract: The field of control is contributing to the development of machines that can realize walking motions with the
stability and agility of a human being. Dynamic models for bipeds are hybrid in nature. There are both continuous and discrete
elements, with switching events that are spatially driven by unilateral constraints at ground contact which vary throughout a
gait and impulse-like forces that occur at leg touchdown.
The goal of the tutorial is to present in a self-contained way the fundamentals of the problem, by over-viewing existing projects
and presenting key methodologies. Modeling walking machines, Controlled Symmetries and Hybrid Routhian Reduction, Virtual
Constraints and Hybrid Zero Dynamics are some topics which will be addressed during the tutorial which will conclude with a
discussion of open problems.
Tutorial 3: A tutorial on consensus, synchronization, and coordination
Julien Hendrickx, University of Louvain, Belgium and MIT, USA.
Alain Sarlette, University of Liège, Belgium and Mines-ParisTech, France
Rodolphe Sepulchre, University of Liège, Belgium
Abstract: The tutorial will introduce key concepts and results in three closely related topics: consensus, or the asymptotic
agreement reached through local but spreading exchange of information over a communication network; synchronization, or
the asymptotic phase locking reached in a network of coupled oscillators ; and coordination, or the design of control laws that
asymptotically enforce a collective motion in a network of interconnected control systems.
The tutorial will emphasize the similarities as well as the differences between three problems that have been searched in
distinct communities and with distinct mathematical tools but that are all relevant to the growing field of cooperative and
distributed control.
General information
Venue
The NOLCOS 2010 Symposium and Tutorials will be held at the Faculty of Engineering, University of Bologna
(www.ing.unibo.it), Via Risorgimento, 2 - Bologna.
Registration
Registration fees Early (Until 15 June 2010) On site
Symposium (1-2-3 September 2010)
Full registration € 540,00 € 700,00
Student registration
(A certification as full time student is required) € 150,00 € 250,00
Tutorials (31 August 2010)
Registration € 100,00 € 200,00
Social Activities
Welcome party for full registration included included
Gala dinner for full registration included included
Farewell party for full registration included included
Lunches during the Symposium for full registration included included
Welcome party for student and accompanying person € 50,00 € 60,00
Gala dinner for student and accompanying person € 100,00 € 120,00
Farewell party for student and accompanying person € 50,00 € 60,00
All the costs are VAT included. The VAT has to be paid by every participant according to the Italian law.
For every accepted paper, at least one full registration fee must be paid before June 15th, 2010.
Otherwise the paper will not be considered in the final event program and will not be published in the event documentation.
The full registration fee includes:
- Access to technical sessions of the Symposium
- Symposium bag with the program, abstracts,
tourist info, personalised badge
- Coffee breaks and lunches during the Symposium
- Welcome party
- Farewell party
- Gala dinner
How to register
Register online at www.nolcos2010.unibo.it.
Confirmation
Immediately after submitting your online registration form, an automatic confirmation is sent by email. If you do not receive
this automatic confirmation, your registration has not been made successfully. Studio Moretti will send a formal confirmation
by email after receipt of payment.
Payment
All payments are in Euro, net of all bank charges and commissions for the receiver. Payment methods: bank transfer or credit card.
Cancellation
Registrations can only be accepted and confirmed when the registration form and fee have been received by the Organizing
Secretariat, Studio Moretti Srl. In case of written cancellation before July 31st, 50% of the registration fee will be
refunded. The tutorials will be offered based on viable attendance. The organizing committee reserves the right to cancel nonviable
tutorials. In the event that a tutorial is canceled the tutorial fee will be refunded in full.
The student registration fee includes:
- Access to technical sessions of the Symposium
- Symposium bag with the program, abstracts, tourist info,
personalised badge
- Coffee break during the Symposium
The tutorials fee includes:
- Access to tutorials
- 1 Lunch
- Coffee break on August 31
General information
The city of Bologna
Bologna has 1 million inhabitants and covers an area of 3,700 km2. It is a centre with winning qualities: it
is able to regenerate its identity, to invest in the quality of the urban area and to offer privileged productive
localisation solutions. With regard to the city’s historical centre, the first of these qualities is enshrined in
the permanent conservation plan, which, from the 70’s onwards, has gradually become an internationallyrecognised
model of development making it possible to preserve the city’s identity. Bologna is user-friendly,
and its historical, artistic and cultural heritage is a treasure to be discovered and explored. The city’s urban
quality is not only in the buildings themselves, but also in the many itineraries that criss-cross the city
providing access to even its most hidden-away secrets. With its maze of 40 kms (25 miles) of porticoes,
you can walk from the city-centre all the way to the hills. Bologna’s Alma Mater Studiorum was founded in
1088 A.C. and is the oldest university in the Western world. 900 years later, it is still a centre of excellence
and offers to its 100,000 students, 72 departments and 90 Master’s programmes. It is the model of a
university which has developed over the centuries within the city and sees cross-fertilisation as added-value,
as opposed to the model of the campus isolated from the city. At the productive and dynamic heart of Italy,
Bologna is a crossroads between continental Europe and the Mediterranean basin and occupies a central
position with strategic value for those looking East. As such, it plays a vital role as a unique point of transit:
all trains go through Bologna.
Hotel accomodation
For details on the selected symposium hotels, availability and hotel reservation, please visit the Symposium
website at www.nolcos2010.unibo.it. The organizing secretariat has taken options on a large number
of rooms, in several hotels which offer quality lodging including breakfast. All hotels are located in the city
centre. It is important to book your room as soon as possible since the Symposium is in the
same period of many exhibitions in Bologna.
Social activities
Welcome party – Tuesday, 31 August 2010
The official opening will be followed by a cocktail with drinks and snacks for your pleasure and entertainment.
Gala Dinner – Thursday, 2 September 2010
The purpose is to gather informally with local drinks, food, good music and entertainment in the suggestive
location of Palazzo Re Enzo, situated in the heart of Bologna, overlooking one of the most stunning squares
in the world.
Farewell party – Friday, 3 September 2010
All participants and their accompanying guests are invited to attend the Farewell Reception to say goodbye
to friends and colleagues.
TOURS
Before, during and after the Symposium the following activities will be organized:
) Tour to Florence ) The land of motors
) Tour to Venice ) Visit of Bologna
) Tour to Ferrara ) A real Bolognese cooking school
) Tour to Ravenna ) Underground Bologna and the city’s waterways
Program, information, dates and rates of the tours will be updated soon at www.nolcos2010.unibo.it.
Committees
International
Program Committee
IPC Chair: Lorenzo Marconi (IT)
IPC Co-Chair: Xiaohua Xia (ZA), Kurt Schlacher (AT) (industrial liaison)
Members
A. Agrachev (IT)
F. Allgower (DE)
J. Alvarez (MX)
D. Angeli (IT)
E. Aranda-Bricaire (MX)
A. Astolfi (UK)
A. Bacciotti (IT)
T. Basar (US)
S. Celikovsky (CZ)
D. Cheng (CN)
F. Colonius (DE)
L. Del Re (AT)
F. Doyle (US)
M. Fliess (FR)
L. Grüne (DE)
H. Hashimoto (JP)
J. Hauser (US)
D. J. Hill (AU)
J. Huang (HK)
J. I. Imura (JP)
A. Isidori (IT)
Z. P. Jiang (US)
W. Kang (US)
N. Kazantis (US)
Ü. Kotta (EE)
C. Kravaris (GR)
M. Krstic (US)
A. Kugi (AT)
A.B. Kurzhanski (RU)
D. Liberzon (US)
W. Lin (US)
A. Loria (FR)
A. Macchelli (IT)
M. Maggiore (CA)
L. Magni (IT)
R. Marino (IT)
H. Moog (FR)
D. Nesic (AU)
H. Nijmeijer (NL)
A. Pavlov (NO)
N. Petit (FR)
L. Praly (FR)
W. Respondek (FR)
J. Rudolph (DE)
A.J. van der Schaft (NL)
K. Schilling (DE)
R. Sepulchre (BE)
A. Serrani (US)
H. Shim (SK)
H. Siguerdidjane (FR)
P. S. P. Silva (BR)
S. Spurgeon (UK)
Y. Z. Sun (CN)
Z. D. Sun (CN)
A. Teel (US)
National Organizing
Committee
Chairman: Carlo Rossi (IT)
Members:
Luigi Glielmo (IT) - (Co-Chair)
Sergio Savaresi (IT) - (Co-Chair)
Roberto Diversi (IT)
Andrea Paoli (IT)
Andrea Tilli (IT)
Sponsors
IFAC TC sponsorship
TC 2.3 Non-Linear Control Systems
IFAC TC co-sponsorships
TC 2.1 Control Design
TC 2.4 Optimal Control
TC 4.3 Robotics
TC 6.1 Chemical Process Control
TC 7.1 Automotive Control
TC 7.3 Aerospace
Contact information
WEBSITE: www.nolcos2010.unibo.it
IPC CONTACT: ipc.nolcos2010@unibo.it
NOC CONTACT: noc.nolcos2010@unibo.it
Contact Postal Address
Prof. Lorenzo Marconi - CASY-DEIS University of Bologna
Via Risorgimento 2 - 40136 Bologna - Italy
Tel. +39 051 2093788 - Fax +39 051 2093073
Organizing Secretariat
Studio Moretti s.r.l. - Via Andrea Costa 202 - 40134 Bologna - Italy
Tel. +39 051 6142640 - Fax +39 051 6140271
nolcos2010@morettieventi.it - www.morettieventi.it
IFAC Copyright Policy
The material submitted for presentation at an IFAC meeting (Congress, Symposium, Conference,
Workshop) must be original, not published or being considered elsewhere. All papers
accepted for presentation will appear in the Preprints of the meeting and will be distributed
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Workshops will be hosted on-line on the IFAC-PapersOnLine.net website. The presented papers
will be further screened for possible publication in the IFAC Journals (Automatica, Control
Engineering Practice, Annual Reviews in Control, Journal of Process Control , Engineering
Applications of Artificial Intelligence, and Mechatronics), or in IFAC affiliated journals. All
papers presented will be recorded as an IFAC Publication.
Copyright of material presented at an IFAC meeting is held by IFAC. Authors will be required to
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priority access to all contributions presented. However, if the author is not contacted by an editor
of these journals, within three months after the meeting, he/she is free to submit an expanded
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carry a reference to the IFAC meeting where it was originally presented and, if the paper has
appeared on the website www.IFAC-PapersOnLine.net, also a reference to this publication.