Control in an Information Rich World

Book excerpt: The field of control provides the principles and methods used to design physical and information systems that maintain desirable performance by sensing and automatically adapting to changes in the environment. This report spells out some of the prospects for control in the current and future technological environment, describes the role the field will play in military, commercial, and scientific applications over the next decade, and recommends actions required to enable new breakthroughs in engineering and technology through the application of control research. This brief yet thorough report provides renewed vision, a detailed list of new application areas, and specific recommendations for future research directions in control, dynamics, and systems, compiled by experts in the field.