Switched Finite Time Control of a Class of Underactuated Systems

The control of mechanical systems with constraints has been a topic of intense research in the control and dynamical systems community for the past two decades. In particular, systems with velocity and/or acceleration level constraints which appear in many applications like - robotics, spacecrafts, launch vehicles, underwater vehicles - have been studied intensively. This monograph is a self-contained exposition on a switched, finite-time, control strategy for this class of systems. Beginni...