ReseaRch Quality assuRance foR the futuRe a ... - Lund University

Panel 16 – systems science
• Horizontal axis:
– Analysis and control of complex systems, the fundamentals
– Computer aided modeling and optimization
– Real-time systems
• Vertical axis:
– Process control
– Robotics
– Automotive
– Medicine
– Telecoms
In the following we briefly review the horizontal axes.
The fundamental results developed at the border of optimization and
control put this department in the top rank worldwide within the control
community as identified by the Control and Decision conference (IEEE-
CDC). The panel considers that the results regarding density functions
and stability of nonlinear feedback systems opens new avenues in nonlinear
control. This is really seen as kind of a revolution in the area and
Lund, together with Caltech and MIT are the three actors in the forefront
in this area. Not surprisingly, this is substantiated by an outstanding
impact of the related publications. In addition, the panel considers
that this body of research puts bridges toward other disciplines such as
optimization as well as several topics in computer engineering such as
scheduling and static analysis of programs. All this is rather impressive.
Computer aided modeling and optimization was in the past a major
focus of this department with the work that lead to Modelica. This
has had a major industrial impact on model based design of embedded
systems in the sector of automobile and aeronautics and transportation in
general. Modelica is the most important step forward since Simulink was
introduced. Several startups were born from this activity, with Modelon
AB born in the recent years as a service company. From the perspective
of the user community it is a bit of a pity that this activity is no longer a
central Departmental theme. We were, however, satisfied to read that this
activity has been revitalized by extending it toward optimization techniques,
a current area of excellence of this department.
The axis on real-time systems has been developed in the last ten years.
Revisiting control design and analysis in close relation with the consideration
of computing infrastructure is undoubtedly a central issue now and
473