Control

Research

Control research at U-M encompasses everything from manufacturing systems to automobiles, prosthetic devices and robotics. Our faculty have also created award-winning tutorials for Matlab and Simulink.

• Manufacturing: Researchers working with our Engineering Research Center for Reconfigurable Manufacturing Systems develop systems that can be adapted to changes in the marketplace. 
• Automotive: Our engineers investigate automotive safety, handling, and autonomous vehicle control through modeling and simulation. They develop powertrain control systems, and work on diesel technology and braking methods for Commercial Heavy Vehicles. Their research also helps accelerate the adoption of fuel cell and hybrid vehicles. In addition, they work on developing tools to guarantee the safety of automated controllers for autonomous vehicles.
• Robotics: Our work has led to autonomous ground robots that investigate rugged or dangerous terrain and devices that track the moving position of pedestrians or vehicles without GPS. We’ve developed navigation aids for the blind and those with limited mobility, haptic interface systems that exploit the sense of touch for rehabilitation or education and micro-mechatronic or soft robotic systems for use in bio-medical devices or in computers. 

Specialties

• Robotics
• Rehabilitation
• Haptic devices
• Biomechanics of motion
• Prosthetic device development
• MEMS and micro-mechatronic systems
• Powertrain control systems and architectures
• Fuel cell power and hydrogen forming
• Logic control
• Networked control systems
• Manufacturing automation
• Vehicle dynamics and controls
• Time-delay systems

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