Research Activities

I have put a substantial effort to the foundation and consolidation of a solid research group in the area of Networked Controlled Systems (NCS), with international competitiveness and visibility (NeCS). Originally the research topics were specifically focused toward control over networks (including delays, lost of packages, communication protocols, fading, etc.), and then the recent last years, it expanded to include wider aspects of system in networks like : multi-agent system, consensus, optimal coverage, multi-hop networks, etc. To support this activity, I lead specialized control network research projects (EU project FedNetBack, 2008-12), I got strong involvements in specialized conference organization (IFAC-conference on Network Control Systems NeCSYS’10) and editorial activities of the control network scientific community (IEEE Trans. on Control of System Networks launched in 2013). My research focuses mainly at present on the control of large-scale physical networks such as intelligent road transportation networks, which have been the main field of application investigated so far. Toward this objective, I have launched the Grenoble Traffic Lab (GTL) which is a platform for real-time collection of traffic data coming from a dense wireless sensor network (130 magnetometers over 10.5 km) installed in the south ring of the city of Grenoble in France. Data collection is intended to validate dynamic mathematical models and to test traffic prediction, monitoring, and control algorithms. I have also several research projects with industries and research centers, such as the IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN) which is a public-sector research and training center covering the fields of energy, transport and environment. More recently I collaborate with ALSTOM Hydro-electric network generator plants.

Current research topics
  • Modeling, monitoring and prediction in transportation networks
  • Optimal control for large-scale urbain networks
  • Scale-Free Control design for large scale Systems
  • Electromobility
  • Control of large Scale Systems via the Continuation method
Previous research topics
  • Communication and control co-design in feedback systems.
  • Source seeking via underwater fleets.
  • Energy-aware control in System on Chip
  • Vehicle and Engine control & diagnostic
  • Modeling and control of systems with Friction
  • Robot Control: manipulators, mobile & walking robots
  • AC Electrical Motor Control
  • Orbital stabilization