Welcome to ICCAS2003

Plenary Talk I	Finite Alphabet Control
Name	Prof. Graham C. Goodwin
Affiliation	Univ. of Newcastle, Australia
Abstract	In many practical problems, the control signal is required to be chosen from a finite number of levels. These questions are generally referred to as "finite alphabet control" problems. There are many applications of this problem including: on-off control, optimal audio quantization, design of finite impulse response filters having quantized coefficients, equalization of digital communication channels subject intersymbol interference and control over networked communication channels. This talk will explain how this class of problems can be formulated as optimal control problems subject to finite alphabet constraints. Methods for solving these problems will be described and it will be shown that a semi closed form solution exists for particular cases. Special cases of the result include well known practical algorithms such as optimal noise shaping quantizers in audio signal processing and decision feedback equalizers in digital communication. Associated stability questions will also be addressed and several real world applications will be presented.

Plenary Talk II	Advanced Robotic Capabilities in Space Exploration and Utilization
Name	Dr. Antal K Bejczy
Affiliation	Jet Propulsion Lab., USA
Abstract	The first part of this presentation will in retrospect summarize and illustrate the technical R&D steps and other events which carried robot arm force-torque sensing and control mode from ground laboratory experiments to current operational capabilities in Earth Orbit. The retrospect summary will cover the three subsequent chapters of the technical history. (1) Basic small scale laboratory developments and experiments at JPL. (2) JPL implementation or large scale developments and experiments at JSC. (3) The joint JPL-JSC implementation or a flight experiment which was successfully carried out on a Space Shuttle mission in 1994. Currently, the Canadian teams responsible far the design and implementation of the large Mobile Manipulator System (MMS) and or the dual redundant Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator (SPDM) system on the International space station (ISS) incorporated a design and its implementation or force-torque sensing and control for both the MMS and SPDM. The MMS with force-torque sensor system is already in Earth Orbit, and the SPDM will be launched next year. The presentation's second part will briefly project the needs for new advanced robotic capabilities in future space missions. The needs can be summarized with the following predictive thesis : Significant new results in Space Exploration and Utilization will depend on the broad application of Intelligent Engineering Systems (IES) embodied in (a) automation and, in particular, (b) the micro/nano level of mechatronics. The technical content of this thesis will be illuminated by the source of the new exploratory mission challenges involving new types of tasks and task environments, together with some typical recent proposal calls related to those space missions. It is worth noting that IES embodied in automation and micro/nano level of mechatronics also has relevance for many terrestrial interests like human health care, increased safety and security inhuman life, and improved quality assurance in manufacturing and other production systems

Plenary Talk III	Model Based Analytical Redundancy Management
Name	Prof. Jason L. Speyer
Affiliation	UCLA, USA
Abstract	Any system under automatic control demands a high degree of system reliability. This requires a health monitoring system capable of detecting any plant, actuator and sensor faults as they occur and identifying the faulty components. One approach, analytical redundancy which reduces the need for hardware redundancy, uses the dynamic relationships between system inputs and measured system outputs to form a residual process which can be used to detect and identify faults. The redundancy management architecture and associated theory will be reviewed. Application to a diverse set of practical systems ranging from automated highway systems and GPS/INS systems to damage detection in structures will be presented.