inControl
inControl is a podcast focused on control theory, covering topics such as feedback systems, automation, and their real-world applications. Hosted by Alberto Padoan, the show introduces the principles of control engineering to both students and enthusiasts. The podcast also offers a collection of related merchandise through its online shop.
Episodes
ep47 - Tore Hägglund and José Luis Guzman: the art of PID control
Outline00:00 - Intro08:35 - What is PID control?12:15 - The history: Minorsky, 1922, and steering ships21:00 - The lambda method, IMC, and analytical tuning28:45 - Set-point weighting and two degrees of freedom32:50 - Automatic tuning and the relay feedback problem40:35 - The Lund school and Karl Johan Åström50:20 - PID is nearly optimal57:30 - PID tuning: the elephant in the room1:01:35 - Open pr
ep46 - The fall of LTCM: Bachelier, Merton, and Black–Scholes ... when stochastic control met Wall Street
Outline00:00 - Intro02:25 - Bachelier and the Théorie de la Spéculation03:05 - Stochastic processes, Brownian motion, and the heat equation09:45 - Poincaré's verdict, obscurity, and rediscovery13:50 - Robert C. Merton: from hot rods to MIT19:25 - Dynamic programming and Itô calculus24:35 - Merton's portfolio problem as stochastic optimal control31:10 - Options, dynamic hedging, and the B
ep45 - Peter Caines: from stochastic and adaptive control to mean field games, graphons, and beyond!
Outline 00:00 - Intro 02:10 - London in the 1960s12:40 - From Oxford to Imperial College: David Mayne and the discrete-time Riccati equation 18:05 - The "global tour": Montenegro roads, hitch-hiking to Istanbul, and the San Francisco waterfront 22:30 - Feedback and causality between stochastic processes 31:15 - The system identification years 40:50 - Model complexity, the bias–variance t
ep44 - Mario di Bernardo: From Circuits to Cells and Swarms — Control meets Complexity
Outline00:00 - Intro 01:30 - Origin story: Naples, electrical engineering, and the fascination with chaos 08:00 - What is chaos?15:00 - DC-DC converters and discontinuity-induced bifurcations 22:00 - Piecewise-smooth dynamical systems26:55 - Complex networks, synchronization, and pinning control 40:30- Synthetic biology: from gene regulatory networks to multicellular control58:00 - COVID-19: a net
ep43 - Steve Brunton: DMD, Koopman, SINDy, Eigensteve Channel, HydroGym, Optimization, and much more
Outline00:00 - Intro01:15 - Origin story: early path and the road to science 04:20 - On graphical visualization and aphantasia 08:08 - The interest in fluid dynamics 12:00 - Caltech, Jerry Marsden, and the move to the Pacific time zone 19:43 - Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) and the Koopman operator 27:15 - On teaching and the Eigensteve channel 39:22 - SINDy: Sparse Identification of Nonlinear D
ep42 - inControl guide to ... the Nyquist criterion
Outline00:00 – Intro04:43 – Life and background08:45 – Bell Labs13:42 – Inventing the negative feedback amplifier18:15 – Nyquist's landmark contributions20:43 – Regeneration theory27:10 – Frequency response32:03 – Cauchy’s argument principle36:05 – The Nyquist criterion41:37 – Why is it so hard?45:27 – Robustness, margins, and practical aspects56:41 – Beyond the Nyquist criterion1:04:25 – Pit
ep41 - A minimal history of optimal control
Outline00:00 - Intro02:55 - Brachistochrone problem20:52 - Beginning of the calculus of variations32:00 - Principle of least action42:37 - Maximum principle1:02:35 - Dynamic programming1:11:12 - Linear quadratic control1:16:37 - Beyond optimal control: games, nonsmooth analysis, MPC, RL1:28:40 - OutroLinks300 years of optimal control: https://tinyurl.com/2s3t8se4Brachistochrone: https://tinyurl.co
ep40 - Jeff Shamma: gain scheduling, nonlinear control, learning & dissipativity in games, jiu-jitsu
Outline00:00 - Intro03:18 - Early days: why control, M. Athans, and IDSS12:21 - What is gain scheduling?33:37 - Paradigm shifts & the ‘90s: Minnesota → Texas → LA 42:19 - Robustness & fundamental limitations of nonlinear systems57:35 - Set-valued control & estimation01:04:52 - Game theory & multi-agent control 01:28:18 - Learning & dissipativity in games & multi agent AI01:
ep39 - Female influencers in control
Outline00:00 - Intro05:01 - Female Influencers in Control — The Backstory08:08 - Sofya Kovalevskaya15:21 - Irmgard Lotz26:16 - A new wave of control influencers34:26 - Some data43:38 - What can one do? 1:00:10 - Exhibition + survey1:05:21 - OutroLinksFemale influencers in control project: https://tinyurl.com/mv879ahfCharlotta Johnsson: https://tinyurl.com/343esbeuEva Westin: https://tinyurl.com/3p
ep38 - inControl guide to ... Feedback
Outline00:00 – Intro07:22 – Anatomy of a feedback loop15:12 – A brief historical recap on the history of feedback23:40 – Inventing the negative feedback amplifier34:28 – Feedback in biology, economics, society, and ... board games!52:44 – Negative vs positive feedback59:15 – Feedback, causality, and the arrow of time1:06:22 – Classics: fundamental limitations, uncertainty, robustness1:21:30 – Adap
ep37 - A. M. Lyapunov: The General Problem of Stability of Motion
Outline 00:00 - Intro 03:12 - Early life 09:07 - St. Petersburg: Stability of Ellipsoidal Bodies 20:13 - Kharkov: The General Problem of the Stability of Motion 34:37 - Back to St. Petersburg: Probability & Academy 46:22 - Tragic end 49:50 - Posthumous recognition 57:49 - Legacy 1:20:39 - OutroLinksA. M. Lyapunov: https://tinyurl.com/3kjuhfnsS. Lyapunov: https://tinyurl.com/mury7p3sSmirnov&ap
ep36 - Markos Papageorgiou: Traffic Control — Theory and Practice
Outline00:00 – Intro00:51 – Early steps in research09:55 – Historical overview of traffic control25:20 – What is traffic?34:06 – Road traffic control45:37 – PI control of road junctions58:19 – From macroscopic to microscopic simulations and back1:10:08 – Dynamic traffic assignment1:21:28 – Return to Greece1:28:33 – The optimal control problem1:41:48 – Traffic estimation1:47:34 – The impact of auto
ep35 - Cosimo Della Santina: From Dexterous Manipulation to Soft Robotics and Embodied Intelligence
Outline 00:00 – Intro 01:19 – Early steps: PhD journey & robotic hands 15:42 – What is a soft robot?23:35 – MIT years & models of soft robots 30:01 – Discretization & underactuation 37:21 – The regulation problem 47:01 – Pros and cons of soft robots 51:42 – The soft inverted pendulum 1:05:27 – Eigenmanifolds 1:15:22 – Physical intelligence 1:26:09 – On machine learning 1:37:49 – Embodi
ep34 - inControl guide to ... Controllability & Observability
Outline00:00 - Intro01:06 - The big idea03:42 - Controllability, observability, and ... the space race!14:52 - Kálmán and the state-space paradigm00:00 - The math and intuition: state-space basics, definitions, and duality00:00 - A touch of nonlinearity00:00 - Developments in the field: a chronological tour00:00 - Controllability and observability: quo vaditis?00:00 - OutroLinksKálmán: https://ti
ep33 - Mathukumalli Vidyasagar: control synthesis, robotics, randomized algorithms, learning, compressed sensing, non-convex optimization
Outline00:00 - Intro00:42 - “Research should be fun”02:02 - Early steps in research09:00 - Book writing and meeting C. Desoer18:33 - Control synthesis via the factorization approach25:46 - The graph metric 29:27 - Robotics and CAIR36:00 - Randomized algorithms40:41 - On learning44:05 - Neural networks48:40 - Tata, hidden Markov models, and large deviations theory55:48 - Picking problems and role o
ep32 - Anders Rantzer: robust control, IQCs, nonlinear and hybrid systems, positivity and scalable control, adaptive control
Outline00:00 - Intro and early steps in control06:42 - Journey to the US08:30 - Kharitonov's theorem and early influences12:10 - From Lund to KTH (Stockholm)15:01 - Ascona and collaboration with Megretski24:06 - The IMA year in Minnesota33:50 - Integral quadratic constraints46:10 - KYP lemma and meeting Yakubovich52:35 - Piecewise hybrid systems59:41 - Dual to Lyapunov theorem1:06:48 - Posit
ep31 - Miroslav Krstić: nonlinear adaptive control, PDEs, delays, extremum seeking, safety, neural operators for control
Outline00:00 - Intro01:07 - Early steps02:47 - Why control?05:20 - The move to the US07:40 - The first journal paper13:30 - What is backstepping?17:08 - Grad school25:10 - Stochastic stabilization29:53 - The interest in PDEs43:24 - Navier-Stokes equations52:12 - Hyperbolic PDEs and traffic models57:51 - Predictors for long delays1:08:14 - Extremum seeking1:27:14 - Safe control1:36:30 - Interplay b
ep30 - Manfred Morari: A pioneer’s journey through robust, predictive and computational control
Outline00:00 - Intro03:26 - Development: ETH Zürich07:15 - Growth: Minnesota and Wisconsin36:16 - Productivity: Caltech53:28 - Change: ETH Zürich01:37:18 - Continuity: University of Pennsylvania01:45:36 - OutroLinksManfred’s website: https://tinyurl.com/mryp38w3Farewell lecture: https://tinyurl.com/2j5uxsp4Laying the foundations: an advisor’s perspective: https://tinyurl.com/ym5e4437Internal model
ep29 - Richard Bellman: The Father of Dynamic Programming
Outline 00:00 - Intro02:42 - Early life10:24 - WWII, Johns Hopkins, Belleville, Madison 17:17 - Princeton 20:30 - Los Alamos24:12 - Back to Princeton31:01 - RAND + Stanford 42:10 - Dynamic programming46:06 - Project matterhorn51:00 - Back to RAND56:14 - Curse of dimensionality1:02:41 - Divorce and remarriage1:08:29 - Greenglass affair1:14:21 - USC1:18:55 - Center for the Study of Democratic Instit
ep28 - Karl Henrik Johansson: Semper in Motu - Hybrid Systems, Wireless and Event-Based Control, Mobility, Cybersecurity, and Societal Challenges
Outline00:00 Intro01:19 Swedish control heritage and early steps05:21 PhD at Lund and relay feedback systems15:40 Berkeley years19:58 Hybrid systems26:46 Networked control systems30:32 Interaction with industry34:40 Wireless control systems40:33 Platooning in freight transport49:27 Future of mobility52:55 Event-based control58:58 Cybersecurity1:05:10 Societal-scale challenges1:12:33 Bode lecture r
ep27 - Munther Dahleh: L1 control, agile robotic maneuvering, abstractions, cascaded failures, markets, data and systems for societal problems
Outline00:00 - Intro02:14 - Early steps in control05:36 - L1 control17:09 - Relay feedback systems24:32 - Agile robotic maneuvers29:31 - Abstractions and models41:59 - Causality49:35 - Markets and power grids1:00:20 - Role of network structure1:05:03 - Data, systems, and society1:16:17 - On writing1:22:57 - Cascaded failures in networks1:30:40 - Information design1:34:29 - Data markets1:42:27 - On
ep26 - Bart De Moor: subspace identification, linear & multilinear algebra, quantum information, ML
Outline00:00 - Intro00:49 - Early education and PhD in control10:35 - Non-negative linear algebra & modelling uncertainty principle22:50 - Influence of Willems & the Frisch scheme34:27 - Subspace identification & stochastic behavioural system theory38:39 - Stanford experience with Golub & Kailath53:30 - Return to Leuven: LS-SVMs, quantum information, and beyond1:07:48 - Multilinear
ep25 - Francesco Bullo: Geometric control, robotic networks, networked systems, mathematical sociology, contraction theory
Outline01:16 - Intro02:28 - Early steps in Italy and California13:00 - From Riemannian geometry …17:01 - … to geometric control, robotics and locomotion34:54 - Academic environment at Caltech35:06 - From single robots to robotic networks53:51 - Art gallery problem1:01:37 - Networked and cyber-physical systems1:21:47 - Contracting dynamics1:33:07 - Coupled oscillators and power grids1:47:20 - On ma
ep24 - Brian Douglas: Boeing, Control Videos, Resourcium, Map of Control Theory, Cartoons, Mathworks
Outline00:00 - Intro01:00 - From Boeing to Planetary Resources08:57 - The origin of control videos17:07 - About teaching style20:52 - The (unnecessary?) math behind controls26:54 - On interdisciplinarity31:35 - How to build knowledge fast48:32 - Resourcium01:00:49 - The map of control theory 01:11:09 - IFAC Cartoons01:15:35 - Fundamentals of control theory book01:24:49 - The role of projects01:34:
ep23 - Bassam Bamieh: Sampled Data Systems, PDEs, Distributed Control of Spatially Invariant Systems, Coherence, Resistive Losses, Cochlear Instabilities, and Stochasticity in Feedback Loops
Outline00:00 - Intro01:17 - Early Years04:17 - The “Scenic Route” to Control Theory12:44 - Sampled Data Systems22:26 - Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) Identification28:07 - From Distributed Systems and PDEs ...38:59 - ... to Distributed Control of Spatially Invariant Systems49:02 - Taming the Navier-Stokes Equations50:55 - Advice to Future Students1:13:12 - Coherence in Large Scale Systems1:32:28 -
ep22 - Alberto Sangiovanni Vincentelli, Part II: Cyberphysical and hybrid systems, Contracts, Chiplets, Models of computation, Time, Innovative Ecosystems, BioBricks, Neuromorphics
Outline00:00 - Intro01:28 - Platform-based design (PBD) in biology16:42 - Cyberphysical systems, automotive industry, hybrid systems27:32 - Contracts in system design34:50 - Chiplets41:48 - About time: the tag signal model52:15 - Neuromorphics59:21 - Innovative ecosystems1:07:35 - Advice to future students1:16:26 - The role of luckLinksBiKi Technologies: https://t.ly/RuaW7R. Murray: https://t.ly
ep21 - Alberto Sangiovanni Vincentelli, Part I: Classics, EDA, Logic Synthesis, SPICE, Intel x386, Cadence, Synopsis, Platform-based design
Outline00:00 - Intro02:40 - Classic Studies06:51 - Early Steps in Berkeley between Optimization and Circuits Theory16:04 - Back to Italy... and back to Berkeley26:29 - The SPICE program and the interaction with IBM33:30 - Logic Synthesis, Simulated Annealing, Timberwolf40:57 - The Intel x386, YACR, and ESPRESSO47:01 - The birth of Cadence and Synopsis1:06:01 - Corsi e Ricorsi in EDA1:30:45 - The S
ep20 - Aude Billard: From Robot learning to Dexterous Manipulation and Human-Robot Interaction
Outline00:00 - Intro00:58 - Early steps… in physics!05:17 - AI in Edinburgh08:00 - Connectionism10:37 - Robot learning19:02 - Imitation learning23:00 - On pursuing a PhD24:45 - Californian chronicles30:10 - Modularity33:20 - Challenges in robot learning39:44 - Dexterous manipulation43:52 - Dynamical systems47:37 - Combining ML and control51:25 - Human-robot interaction54:24 - Safety and compliance
ep19 - Naomi Ehrich Leonard, Part II: Unveiling the Dynamics of Collective Decision-Making from Flocking Starlings to Desert Ants, Political Polarization, and the Creative Dance Between Arts and Control Theory
Outline00:00 - Intro01:33 - Starling Flock Formations07:17 - Harvesters ants in the desert16:54 - Decision making in the natural world and opinion dynamics 32:08 - A geometric look at political polarization36:50 - Control theory and dancing53:25 - CreativeX55:25 - On creativity57:47 - Advice to future studentsLinksAndrea Cavagna - http://tinyurl.com/uywn592jIrene Giardina - http://tinyurl.com/4jmk
ep18 - Naomi Ehrich Leonard, Part I: Geometric Control on Lie Groups, Underwater Vehicles and Collective Motion, Coordination in Animal Groups, Decision Making in Honeybees and Bifurcation Theory
Outline00:00 - Intro01:05 - Dancing and control theory03:31 - Geometric control on Lie groups09:14 - Underwater vehicles and geometric mechanics18:45 - On the Hamiltonian framework21:25 - Underwater field experiments in Monte Rey Bay 36:27 - Collective motion and coordination in animal groups54:40 - Honeybees and bifurcation theory1:03:36 - OutroLinksNaomi’s website: http://tinyurl.com/j755aww5Nao
ep17 - Tryphon Georgiou, Part II: Power spectra, optimal mass transport, Wasserstein geometry, turbulence, thermodynamics, quantum mechanics, adjustable one-ports
Outline00:00 - Intro00:47 - Mind the gap (metric)03:16 - Moment problems and Nevanlinna interpolation06:53 - “Everything relates to everything else”11:27 - Distances between power spectra 16:08 - Optimal mass transport and Schrödinger bridges32:25 - Sinkhorn iteration and Wasserstein geometry37:45 - Color of turbulence41:38 - Thermodynamics and energy harvesting from heat baths55:01 - Quantum mech
ep16 - Tryphon Georgiou, Part I: Marathons, Interpolation problems, Metrics, and the Arrow of Time
Outline00:00 - Intro01:50 - Running marathons 05:19 - The Center13:28 - On creativity15:24 - From algebraic system theory to moment problems43:39 - The gap metric58:33 - The longstanding friendship and collaboration with M. Smith01:11:30 - On causality and the arrow of time LinksTryphon’s website: https://georgiou.eng.uci.edu/People in control interview: https://tinyurl.com/4nw5s9p6R. Kalman: http
ep15 - Davide Scaramuzza: Vision-Based Navigation, Agile Drone Racing, Perception-Aware Control, and Event Cameras
In this episode, we dive into the world of flying robots with Davide Scaramuzza (University of Zürich), a leading expert in vision-based navigation, agile drone racing, perception-aware control, and the cutting-edge neuromorphic technology of event cameras. We explore the challenges of autonomous navigation in GPS-denied environments, the excitement of drone racing, the future of robotics, and the
ep14 - Cleve Moler: Numerical Analyst, First MATLAB Programmer, and MathWorks Co-Founder
In this episode, we chat with Cleve Moler, a pioneer in numerical mathematics, creator of MATLAB and co-founder of MathWorks. We cover the birth of MATLAB, along with captivating stories about the origin of the iconic MathWorks logo, the enigmatic "why" command, the concept of "embarrassingly parallel computations," and the mysterious Pentium bug, among other. Outline00:00 - I
ep13 - John Doyle, Part II: Architectures, Universal laws, Layers, Levels, and Diversity-enabled Sweet Spots
In this episode, we chat again with John Doyle about the frontiers of control theory. Starting from the fascinating interplay between bacteria, physics, and the Internet, we explore the universal laws that govern complex systems. We discuss the inner workings of phenomena like earthquakes, wildfires, and sepsis, emphasizing the vital role of control theory in understanding intrinsic tradeoffs and
ep12 - John Doyle, Part I: A Pioneer's Guide to Robust Control - The Past, Present, and Future
In this episode, we sit down with John Doyle, a living legend in the field of robust control, to delve into his incredible journey in control theory. We explore his past at MIT and Honeywell, his time at Berkeley, and his journey through the golden age of robustness. From his groundbreaking work on margins of systems, \mu synthesis, and the H_\infty problem, to his insights on System Level Synthes
ep11 - Mustafa Khammash: Cybergenetics
In this episode, our guest is Mustafa Khammash. Mustafa is the director of the Control Theory and Systems Biology Lab at ETH Zürich and guides us in this episode as we explore Cybergenetics - the cutting-edge intersection of control theory and synthetic biology. From biomolecular control to antithetic motifs, we discuss real-world applications and ethical dilemmas. Don't miss it!Outline00:00
ep10 - Stephen Boyd: Linear Matrix Inequalities, Convex Optimization, Disciplined Convex Programming, Rock & Roll
In this episode, our guest is Stephen Boyd. Stephen is the Samsung Professor in the School of Engineering at Stanford University. Join as we dive deep into control, convex optimization, linear matrix inequalities, disciplined convex programming, teaching styles, and... rock & roll sound!Outline- 00:00 - Intro - 07:48 - Early years at Berkeley - 10:25 - The role of theory in practice - 16:19
ep9 - Rodolphe Sepulchre: Spiking control systems, nonlinear control, neuroscience and optimization on manifolds
Our guest in this episode is Rodolphe Sepulchre, Professor of Engineering at KU Leuven in the Deparment of Electrical Engineering (STADIUS) and at the University of Cambridge in the Deparment of Engineering (Control Group). We dive into Rodophe's scientific journey across nonlinear control, neuroscience and optimization on manifolds through the unifying lens of control theory.Outline- 00:00
ep8 - Anuradha Annaswamy: Adaptive Control - From the "Brave Era" to Reinforcement Learning and Back
In this episode, our guest is Anuradha Annaswamy. Anu is the Director of the Active-Adaptive Control Laboratory and Senior Research Scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Deparment of Mechanical Engineering. We delve into adaptive control and its exciting history, ranging from the Brave Era to the audacious X15 tests and to modern intersections with Reinforcement Learning.
ep7 - Jean-Jacques Slotine: Sliding, nonlinear and adaptive control, contraction theory, complex networks, optimization, and machine learning
In this episode, our guest is Jean-Jacques Slotine, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Information Sciences as well as Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Director of the Nonlinear Systems Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Distinguished Faculty at Google AI. We explore and connect a wide range of ideas from nonlinear and adaptive control to robotics, neuroscience, comple
ep6 - Norbert Wiener and Cybernetics
In this episode, we delve into the extraordinary life of Norbert Wiener, the founding father of cybernetics - the science “control and communication in the animal and the machine”. Outline00:00 - Intro02:06 - The early years of Norbert09:00 - Europe and WWI15:50 - MIT days19:30 - Norbert’s marriage22:39 - Generalised harmonic analysis28:18 - The interactions with Hopf and Paley31:14 - Bush and the
ep5 - Sean Meyn: Markov chains, networks, reinforcement learning, beekeeping and jazz
In this episode, our guest is Sean Meyn, Professor and Robert C. Pittman Eminent Scholar Chair in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Florida. The episode features Sean’s adventures in the areas of Markov chains, networks and Reinforcement Learning (RL) as well as anecdotes and trivia about beekeeping and jazz.Outline00:00 - Intro00:22 - Sean’s early steps03:
ep4 - Alessandro Chiuso: From system identification to computer vision and back
In this episode, our guest is Alessandro Chiuso. Alessandro is a Professor in the Department of Information Engineering at the University of Padova. The episode covers several topics, including Alessandro’s research trajectory, his work in system identification and vision, and his passion for skiing. Check out Alessandro’s website here: http://automatica.dei.unipd.it/people/chiuso.html Outline00:0
ep3 - Ben Recht: A tour of optimization, machine learning, and control
In this episode, our guest is Ben Recht. Ben is a Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. We discuss several topics, including his research trajectory, Ben's tour of reinforcement learning, and his passion for music, among others. Check out Ben's website here: http://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~brecht/Outline00
ep2 - Florian Dörfler: Power is nothing without control
This episode features an interview with Florian Dörfler, who is an Associate Professor at the Automatic Control Laboratory at ETH Zürich, Switzerland. We discuss several topics, including his personal research trajectory, the influence of machine learning on control, future challenges in control theory, among others. Check out Florian's website here: http://people.ee.ethz.ch/~floriand/Outlin
ep1 - A brief prehistory of control theory
This episode breaks the ice with a bit of the pre-history of control theory. We discuss three iconic ancestors of the science of feedback, including water clocks developed by Ktesibios, the earliest known thermostat, and governors, a class of mechanical devices, which, without exaggeration, have enabled the first industrial Revolution in Britain.Outline00:00 -Intro 01:32 - Ktesibios06:15 - Corn
