Feedback from the Field: The Challenges of Transitioning Control Theory to Practice

This seminar will discuss the need, benefits and challenges to applying control theory to real-world practice. Insights gained from applying LQG, adaptive and nonlinear control design methods to a variety of applications, ranging from active noise and vibration control to sheet-metal stamping, will be presented. Modeling, system identification, control design and real-time implementation will be discussed. The objective of this seminar will be to bring out some of the challenges that practicing control engineers face, and engage in a discussion on how best to bridge the gap between control theory and practice.
– Dr. Ravi Venugopal is the founder of Intellicass Inc., a company based in Montreal, Canada, that develops automation systems for sheet-metal forming. He received the Ph. D. degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in 1997, and following a post-doctoral fellowship, worked with dSPACE, Inc., as a manager for aerospace applications. In 2001, he founded a consulting company for control system design and implementation, and consulted for several organizations including Honeywell Engines and Systems, Ford Motor Company and the U. S. Automotive Materials Partnership. In 2006, he founded Intellicass Inc. to commercialize a new technology for sheet-metal forming and is working with the auto-industry to deploy this technology. Dr. Venugopal is also adjunct faculty at the Ecole de technologie superieure (ETS) of the University of Quebec in Montreal.